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Personally, I am celebrating health reform in a big way. In April 2011, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. A few days later, my treatment began. I had to take various lab tests and then meet with a team of health care providers. Family and friends were generous in giving me emotional support.

I received the needed treatments from April to August and have recuperated since then. I am fortunate to live in San Diego, California, where I have health insurance and was able to be cared for in one of the best hospitals in the country. Thanks to health reform, I was confident that the insurance company wouldn't cancel my benefits or put a cap on what they would pay. Had it not been for that, I would have felt anguish just thinking about how I would be able to afford my treatments or perhaps lose my home. What would happen to me if I lost my home?

I was aware that many people have suffered such a fate when confronted with a serious illness. But I was able to be at peace, work with my doctors and claim my health back. Now I am in excellent health and back to a normal life, contributing in my community as an advocate for minorities and the working class.

The health of my grandchildren and all children in this country have benefited by health reform, many of them like my grandkids who live in cities with unhealthy environments and suffer from chronic respiratory illnesses. We must defend this health reform law at all costs, to make sure we have a healthy population at all economic and social levels. Our future as a world leader depends on it.