Donna Smith
Donna Smith is the executive director of Progressive Democrats of America. She is perhaps best known for her appearance in Michael Moore’s 2007 documentary, “SiCKO,” in which Moore told her story of struggle within the broken U.S. healthcare system.
Donna has so far traveled to and spoken in 46 states, the District of Columbia, Australia, and Canada about single-payer, Medicare for all healthcare and about the dysfunctional U.S. health care system. In July 2007, she testified before the U.S. House of Representatives House Judiciary Committee at the request of Chairman John Conyers, Jr., about medical debt and bankruptcy. For five years, Donna lived near Washington, D.C., and worked as a national single-payer health care advocate and community organizer for National Nurses United/California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee. In 2009, she was named the national “Woman of Action” by the National Organization for Women (NOW).
Donna and her husband Larry now live in Denver, and they have six children and 15 grandchildren. Donna is a three-time cancer survivor.
She also appeared on the “Bill Moyers Journal” on PBS in May 2009: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX0iKuKbv4c
Writing numerous blog and Op/Ed pieces – author of her own blog: http://donnasicko.blogspot.com/ and featured blogger onMichaelMoore.com; and Common Dreams.org. Author of more than 300 essays on health reform, September 2007 – present.