Tim and Bridgette Flack along with their children Madeline and Eli went to the state capitol to thank elected leaders for their support of Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center and issues that pertain to children’s health care.

During their visits with seven representatives and senators, the Flacks shared their story about how Le Bonheur saved the life of 2-year-old Madeline. In March 2006, Madeline had open heart surgery. Since then she had two more Cath lab procedures. Madeline has also received group and individual feed therapy through Le Bonheur.

The Flacks thanked the leaders for their support of TennCare and SCHIP which allow children’s hospitals like Le Bonheur to offer a breadth of subspecialty services. The trip to Nashville, organized by Public Policy and Advocacy at Le Bonheur, is part of an effort to educated elected leaders about the importance of supporting the issues that affect children’s health care.

“We can talk about all the good things Le Bonheur does for children but having a patient and their family speak to elected officials about their personal experience puts a face on Le Bonheur and the importance of children’s healthcare,” said Kristen Bland, corporate director of Public Policy and Advocacy.

“There’s nothing that speaks louder and connects more deeply than the patient’s experience and I'm certain our state legislators will remember Madeline and her Le Bonheur story for a long time.”

Tips for Effectively Telling Your Story to Legislators

Before the Flacks went to the capitol, they spent time with Sharon Ladin, vice president of public policy for the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions. Sharon taught the Flacks techniques to sharing a personal story with elected leaders.

Advocacy is simply telling a story. These stories influence the way elected leaders represent their districts. “Your only task is to be yourself: a citizen and voter who wants government policies to work for the most vulnerable as well as they do for the most powerful,” Ladin said.

Legislators have a lot on their plate. In the 105th Tennessee General Assembly, there have been 4,247 bills introduced and about another thousand joint resolutions. The 33 senators and 99 representatives have just 90 days over two years to write, propose, debate and vote on these bills. It’s hard to get their attention – but extremely important. Chances are that you know more about children’s health care than they do.

When telling your story, make sure it has a beginning, middle and end. Think about the most important message you want to communicate. You will often only get a few minutes to make your point so it helps to have ready a short, 90 second version of what you want to say. Can you fit the story on the back of the baseball card? Imagine something you can say in the time it takes to shake hands or walk someone to the elevator. You may have time to elaborate on the story or answer questions.

A visit to a policy maker should always include six things:

1. Who you are and where you live
2. Any group you belong to that also cares about Le Bonheur and children’s health care
3. What you came to talk about
4. What you want them to do
5. Something in writing – a leave behind
6. Thank you for your time

You can’t be persuasive if you are not understood. While you are so familiar with your child’s condition and health care you might be tempted to use complicated medical terms or abbreviations. Make it easy to understand.

For example, here is a shortened version of Madeline’s story:
When Madeline was 10 months old, doctors discovered that she was born with a complicated heart condition. The surgeons at Le Bonheur patched the hole in her heart with a special piece of GorTex. It was a scary time for our family. But, we took comfort in the medical team at Le Bonheur. We didn’t know how to help her, and they did. Every time we were amazed how they treated our daughter. Madeline continues to see her cardiologist at Le Bonheur to monitor her heart. She may need another heart surgery as she grows.

You can always fill in with additional details if you’re asked. Before you share your story, be sure to practice with friends or family members. You’ll feel more comfortable and you’ll be more effective in sharing if you’ve prepared.

If you'd like to be an advocate for kids, click here and sign up for the Le Bonheur Grassroots Network!