News & Events
A Personal Push for a Public Option: Harriet Fulbright Gives a Deeply Personal Speech to a Congressional Health Panel
Washington, D.C., October 28, 2009 – Mrs. Harriet Mayor Fulbright, widow of late Senator William Fulbright and President and CEO of the J. William & Harriet Fulbright Center, gave an emotional address to the House Judiciary committee during its Health Care and Public Option Hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday October 27th. The informal hearing was held to provide a platform for patients, physicians, and advocates supporting health care reform with a public option.
Harriet Fulbright’s powerful story of her personal struggle with a rare and incurable blood cancer set the tone for the meeting and drew applause on several occasions from the typically stoic Congressional panel. Initially diagnosed with anemia, Mrs. Fulbright was unresponsive to treatment and further tests revealed Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia, a very rare and deadly blood cancer. The world renowned doctors at the Johns Hopkins University and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute put Mrs. Fulbright on a routine of blood transfusions and chemotherapy that left her exhausted. “I felt as if I were living on transfusions, which were necessary every two to three weeks. The subsequent sessions with a chemotherapy agent slowly dripping into my arm were more uncomfortable because of the extreme fatigue that followed,” Mrs. Fulbright testified.
Thanks to the work of some of the best oncologists in the world and after countless sessions, Mrs. Fulbright pulled through and is now in complete remission. Mrs. Fulbright acknowledged how vital access to top quality health care was in her recovery and tied her story to the purpose of the hearing, the need for health care reform with a robust public option.
“I also want to emphasize that I was able to take advantage of all this medical expertise because my health insurance, which came from my Senator husband, is the best this country has to offer and should be available to all US citizens. Without it I would now be deeply in debt or dead, unable to afford the extremely expensive and prolonged treatments.”
A story of personal struggle in the hands of the right person can lead to significant public reform. Mrs. Fulbright’s battle with cancer and her uncanny way to touch people with her message should provide a great push in the fight to provide quality healthcare to all US citizens.
Harriet Fulbright Celebrates Her 75th Birthday, December 13, 2008.
Washington, D.C. – Washington’s finest were out and about Saturday evening as they celebrated the 75th birthday of Mrs. Harriet Mayor Fulbright, widow of Senator J. William Fulbright and President of the nonprofit organization which bears both their names, at the International Student House in Dupont Circle.
The International Student House, located at 1825 R Street, NW, is home to students from all over the world who are studying and interning in Washington, and was a fitting location for the celebration of a woman who has devoted her life to international education.
The guest list included many notable figures from the international and educational communities, including Ambassador Kenton Keith of the Meridian International Center, Dr. Allan Goodman of the Institute for International Education, Dr. Sherry Mueller of the National Council for International Visitors, Dr. David Larsen, Vice President Emeritus of Arcadia University, Dr. Thomas Gross, founder of Genesis Consulting, Dr. David Lee, Vice President of the World Trade Centers Association, Mr. Chic Dambach, President of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, Ms. Susan Eisenhower of the Eisenhower Institute, Barry Featherman of the Inter-American Economic Council and several Fulbright Scholars, including Fulbright Center board member Professor John Laughton of the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.
For a full report on the celebration, including photographs, please click here.
Harriet Fulbright Speaking at Carnegie Mellon University, September 24, 2008.
The speech - "Toward a More Peaceful World" - focused on the growth and strength of the Fulbright Program and international education as a whole. It emphasized the program's importance and gave specific examples of those whose lives have been transformed by study abroad. It also discussed some international programs that have created greater international understanding, laying the groundwork for a more peaceful world.
4:30pm, Thursday September 25, 2008
Carnegie Mellon University, Adamson Wing, 136A Baker Hall
