My name is Tahirah Foster. I live in Denver and I'm the mother of a precocious 4-year-old named Samari, who lives with asthma.

I was forced to leave my dream job as a crew leader at a fast food restaurant because I had no access to paid sick days and my employer refused to allow me the time to be away from work when my daughter had an asthma episode.

The breaking point for me came the day when Samari experienced a brutal asthmatic episode and the child care director called my job with a message that my daughter needed to be picked be right away. But the restaurant was particularly busy that day and the manager choose not to pass along the message until the end of my shift.

These days, I works as a part-time political canvasser, a job that still doesnt offer paid sick days but at least offers me the opportunity to manage both my care-giving duties and my paid work duties.

I want to see Congress pass the Healthy Families Act, so parents like me won't be punished for doing the right thing for our children. (less info)