O’Neill to Run Blossom Time Race
Two months after heart surgery, congressional candidate will jog the 32nd annual 5.25-mile journey
CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio (May 22, 2008) – The Democratic nominee for Ohio’s 14th Congressional District, Bill O'Neill, announced today he planned to register for the 32nd Annual Blossom Time Run, a 5.25-mile race that precedes the Blossom Time Parade this Sunday. O’Neill underwent successful bypass surgery in March and his recovery has been swift, allowing doctors to clear him to take part in the race.
“My goal is just to finish before they take down the timer,” O’Neill said. “I’m just so happy that I’m healthy and ready to continue this O’Neill family tradition – run the race, then march with the veterans in the parade. It’s a time of great pride for our community, and it always reminds me that I’m a very lucky man - in every way.”
O’Neill, after winning a three-way Democratic primary on March 5 with 63% of the vote, missed about four weeks from the campaign trail, but returned to full-time campaigning earlier this month. He also returned to his position as a registered nurse in Hillcrest Hospital’s pediatric emergency room.
“When I started this campaign I never expected to find myself as one of my own campaign issues,” he said. “Affordable health care has always been a very personal issue for me. As a nurse I see every day how our system needs serious reforms. Thanks to my health coverage, I pursued preventive care and, without it, I’m not sure I would have had the check-up or the surgery that may have saved my life.
“We need to take a long, hard look at our system and ask, ‘Why doesn’t everyone deserve this access to affordable care?’” he said.
O’Neill, who earned the Bronze Star in Vietnam and was inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame last year, will also deliver an address at the Bainbridge Memorial Day service and march with the local VFW in the Blossom Time Parade later that day.
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