A&T grad a guest for Obama's speech
GREENSBORO — Nathan Wilkes, a Greensboro native, sat two rows behind the first lady Wednesday night to hear President Barack Obama discuss a concern close to his heart: health care insurance reform.
A new system could mean that Wilkes and his wife, Sonji, could stop worrying about the high cost of health insurance for their 6-year-old son, who has a blood disorder.
“It’ll relieve us of a huge burden about worrying about caps and the bad practices of the insurers,” said Nathan Wilkes, who attended the speech as an invited guest. “We’ve been under their yoke for so many years. We live with the threat on a daily basis that something might happen.”
When the couple learned in 2003 that their son, Thomas, had hemophilia, a disorder that doesn’t allow blood to clot normally, the doctor asked them one question: “Do you have good health insurance?”
Nathan Wilkes, a 1996 electrical engineering graduate of N.C. A&T, had a comprehensive insurance plan from the telecommunications company for which he designs and builds data networks.
But Thomas’ annual medication costs are between $500,000 and $750,000 a year.
He maxed out the $1 million cap Nathan Wilkes’ insurer placed on subscribers. The family used $800,000 of another $1 million capped policy. They now have coverage with a $6 million cap.
For the couple, getting excellent health care has not been the problem.
“It’s been figuring out how to pay the bedeviling cost of health insurance,” Sonji Wilkes said.
She said the family has paid up to $20,000 for a year’s worth of health insurance. But she said most families cannot afford to do so. That’s why the couple advocates for a health care system that is affordable to all and doesn’t prohibit pre-existing conditions.
“This is the cause of his life now,” Sonji Wilkes said of her husband. “I can’t imagine that any other parent wouldn’t do what they have to do to care for their child.”
Nathan Wilkes’ mother, Donna Wilkes of Greensboro, said she’s very proud of the work her son and daughter-in-law are doing.
“Both of them have been involved in community service through the Greensboro Youth Council and it’s just an extension of this and it’s taught them a whole lot,” she said.
The high school sweethearts totaled nearly 2,000 hours each of community service. Sonji Wilkes said they learned public speaking and leadership skills, as well as the way municipalities work.
The family is still heavily involved in their Colorado community, the National Hemophilia Foundation and the Hemophilia Federation of America.
Nathan Wilkes ran unsuccessfully for the Colorado state Senate in 2008.
On Aug. 15, Nathan Wilkes introduced Obama at a town hall meeting in Grand Junction, Colo., a five-hour drive from his home in Englewood.
After the meeting, Obama spoke with each family member and received a high five from Thomas.
“The meeting was brief, but meaningful,” she said.
So is the family’s national fight for health insurance reform.
“First and foremost, I’m a mother,” she said. “It’s all about doing what you can for your children. “While it’s really awesome to be able to represent Greensboro and to be a voice for health care forum, it’s really about taking care of Thomas.”
Contact Dioni L. Wise at 373-7090 or dioni.wise@news-record.com
Accompanying Photos
Photo Caption: President Barack Obama spoke about health care Wednesday to a joint session of Congress.
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