Heather's (sister) Eulogy to Hillary

The last speech I gave for Hillary was at her and Jon’s wedding in 2004. Unfortunately there were more ups and downs during their life together than we expected at that time.

I was with Hillary since before she was born. We have a connection that spanned a lifetime and goes beyond her death.

Hillary lived a remarkable life. She lived a life of caring, compassion and generosity. She loved openly and deeply. I was with her for all of the most important times, her birth, childhood, holidays, vacations, meeting (and introducing her to) her husband, Jon, their wedding, the birth of her son, Xander.

When Hillary became sick we thought it would be short term. But it turned out it wasn’t. Xander made it all worthwhile. She was always thinking of him during her two bone marrow transplants, treatments, and multiple recurrences. She fought hard for her life as she travelled to Dartmouth in Lebanon, Dana Farber in Boston, and Columbia Presbyterian in NYC to find a cure for her cancer.

While Hillary was fighting for her life she was also fighting for the lives of other patients. She realized quickly that there are flaws in our healthcare system. There was no system in place for open communication between her many doctors. She constantly had to worry that her insurance was going to reject her necessary treatment. Or worse, cap her treatment costs at 2 million dollars, a dollar amount that she reached over 3 years ago. Hillary believed in a fundamental right to life regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. She advocated for support of SB 158 to solve NH uncompensated care problems. She believed that this bill could not only reform the current health care system, but revolutionize it. She was passionate about her beliefs. Please don’t let them die with her. Advocate for patient rights, participate in Relay for Life, donate blood, and sign up to be a bone marrow donor. Someone else did and they saved my sisters life, if only for a little while.