Pictured: DuRee, an SEIU 775 caregiver at May Day in Billings. Photo credit: Isabel Spartz/MTN News.
Caregivers and advocates gathered in downtown Billings on Thursday to raise their voices against potential cuts to Medicaid and to show opposition to the Trump administration.
Among the protesters was mother DuRee Cole, a full-time caregiver for her adult son Taylor, who suffers from a debilitating condition called pudendal neuralgia. She gave a speech to the crowd on how Medicaid has impacted her and her son’s lives.
“If you’re like me, it’s tempting to pull the covers over your head and say, ‘Wake me when it’s over and tell me what’s left.’ But we can’t do that because too many people are depending on us to stay in this fight,” Cole said to the crowd. “I’ve been asked to speak about Medicaid, a program that has saved our adult son’s life. How could any mom or parent say no to that?”
Medicaid helps cover the cost of Taylor’s care and supports an in-home caregiver who helps him with community integration and provides Cole with critical relief.
“We’ve been dealing with his health issues for 20 years, so the services of Medicaid are priceless,” said Cole. “They helped me to help him, and without those services, his life would be very different and very, very hard.”