Angelina Scott is a mother, grandmother, and proud member of MomsRising. She's been speaking her truth this summer, raising awareness in media outlets such as CNN and NBC Nightly News about how exorbitant healthcare costs have driven her family into poverty and forced her to stop taking medicines she needs to stay healthy.  

She wrote a powerful USA Today Opinion piece titled, "Do our elected leaders know how it feels to choose between food and medicine? I do.", describing her experience and calling for national change. 

Below is a short excerpt from the Opinion. 

NOTE: The USA Today Opinion requires a subscription to read. Read a full reprint in Yahoo! News here. 

#WeAreMomsRising

"I’ll never forget stumbling into my pharmacy one day, my blood pressure soaring. I could barely see. I asked the pharmacist: Could you just give me a couple pills? Just five or six, until my next paycheck comes in? I’m scared of what will happen if I go any longer without them.

That’s degrading. Dehumanizing. Unacceptable. No one’s health should depend on what a pharmacy company decides to charge, what an insurance company decides to cover or the grace and generosity of a local pharmacist – who was thankfully able to help me that day."

#WeAreMomsRising uses personal stories to showcase what it means to be a mom, a woman, a family member in America. Personal experiences are powerful and can make a HUGE difference in helping our communities and elected leaders understand how public policies impact families. Share YOUR story here.