Mrs. Morse Goes to Washington

If you wonder whether one person can make a difference in her state or national Capitol, take a look at Annmarie Morse. She’s a mom on a mission, as she brings “Michelle’s Law,” named for her late daughter, across the country.

Morse, a high school business teacher in Manchester, New Hampshire, lost her 22-year-old daughter to colon cancer in 2005. Michelle, an elementary education student at Plymouth State College—“a natural teacher,” her mother says—endured a rigorous campaign of chemotherapy and her doctors had recommended a leave of absence from school. But to maintain her insurance benefits, Michelle was forced to remain a full-time student. “I was furious,” says Morse.

Even though she didn’t know how to get involved in the legislative process, she started writing letters—to state representatives, her governor, journalists, anybody she could think of. “They were letters from the heart, and I think those are the letters people listen to.”
Michelle’s Law, which allows seriously ill college students to retain their health insurance without being full-time students, has since become law in New Hampshire, and Morse is working on making it the same elsewhere. New Hampshire’s Republican senators, as well as Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), have signed onto a federal Michelle’s Law (S. 400). For more, go to www.michelleslaw.com .