Dear Sen. Manchin: Four weeks paid leave would have made all the difference to my life.

Dear Mr. Manchin,

I would like to introduce myself. My name is Tammy and I am a 51-yr-old widow. I have been a widow for three years, nine months, and eight days. I am not one of your constituents. I did not vote for you and I did not vote against you as I live in Kentucky and Tennessee. But you do vote for me.

I was a young, pregnant wife at 22. I worked as a waitress six days a week. When I was nine months pregnant, I worked on 14-hour shift. I got home around midnight and went into labor at 5:18 am. My beautiful daughter was born at 6:20pm. I was begging the doctor to release me to go back on day three of having her because I had no paid leave, no income coming in and rent and utilities due. I was finally released four weeks to the day of having her. I had to get a second job to get my bills caught up. Four weeks of paid leave would have made the difference of my having to get a second job and not being home with my daughter. When your little ones were born, I’ll bet you received paid leave so that you could help your wife and to meet your new little ones. Paid leave paid by my taxes that I paid. And yes, I paid taxes even as a waitress.

Twenty-four years later. In December, 2017, my husband, partner, wife, my favorite person, my best friend, my life, was not feeling well. I worked running a restaurant six days, 75 hours a week for 24 years to give my family a proper home. My husband stayed home and kept it running while I worked. He had already worked 40 years in the restaurant industry and it was time for him to slow down. In April 2017, he talked me into slowing down and getting my real estate license so that we could spend time together. He was old enough, 66, to receive his social security, and we were able to save it up for two years. I quit and was able to spend time with my most favorite person, get my real estate license and actually get time with my family.

But that year, he was diagnosed with cancer and was sent home with hospice. I had picked up a job besides doing the real estate to keep up the savings as they was starting to dwindle. I had to go down to three days a week because my daughter could only stay with her daddy three days. After the diagnosis, his health deteriorated quickly and I had to quit working and take care of him until he passed away in my arms a few months later. When he passed, I lost over 50 percent of my income because his social security stopped. Four weeks of paid leave would have helped me while I found a job. I’ll bet when your wife or parent gets terminalyl ill you will receive paid leave to take care of them. Paid leave paid by my taxes that I pay. I do not wish this on you because I’ve been there and would never wish the pain, the sorrow, the broken feeling on anyone.

I wanted to give you an average ordinary American’s point of view who has been there. We went from a middle-class family to a broken one because our world crashed emotionally and financially. I lost my best friend. My daughter lost her daddy. My grand daughter lost her Pappy. We lost everything.

Four weeks of paid leave would have made a difference.

I do not judge you as I don’t know you nor is it my place to judge but you judge me and people like me by voting no on paid leave.

You don’t want to spend too much money but we pay that money. You don’t want to tax the millionaires but I pay more taxes than they do. Americans like me would benefit more from not paying taxes than the millionaires but you are afraid to have them pay their part.

You are acting like four weeks of paid leave is luxury. Four weeks to heal and meet your new baby. Four weeks to say goodbye to the love of your life. This is not a luxury. This is part of life.

Start thinking about every American you are affecting including the ones who didn’t vote for or against you because they live in another state.

Think about all of us.

Please come off your mountain and stop looking down and walk among us ... common, average, ordinary American.

We are only asking for the same benefit that we give you with our blood, sweat, and tears.

The benefit we give you through our hard work so we can pay our taxes and pay you.

Thank you,

Tammy

Tammy Malone is not a Republican nor a Democrat, just an average, ordinary hardworking American citizen who lives in Lexington.