Meet the workers: Lauressie Tillman

Almost everyone knows someone who has diabetes. An estimated 13 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with the disease, a serious, lifelong metabolic disorder. Each year, about 1.3 million people aged 20 or older are diagnosed.

A few years ago, it was Lauressie Tillman’s turn to be diagnosed with diabetes. During Thanksgiving, she was attending a music recital by her granddaughter when she began to feel faint. “I just felt terrible,” she says. Lauressie was taken to Cincinnati’s University Hospital where tests revealed that her blood sugar was 672, more than five times the normal level.

Being diagnosed with such a serious condition is frightening. Being diagnosed when quality health care is out of reach is absolutely terrifying. “My life completely changed after I found out I had diabetes,” she says.

Lauressie is a janitor employed by Professional Maintenance, a company hired to clean Cincinnati’s downtown office buildings. For her work, Lauressie is paid just $26 a day and has no health coverage. Her husband—who works in a local hospital—can only afford to pay for single coverage.

Every three months, Lauressie must go for check-ups that can cost up to $300.00. She spends another $80.00 per month on strips to test her blood levels. For medicine, she relies on the hospital to give her promotional samples. But when the samples don’t match what she needs, she must purchase the medicine at full cost. “It’s so expensive,” she says.

Unfortunately, there is a strong genetic component to the disease. Lauressie’s son has also been diagnosed—and his health is even worse. By forming a union with her coworkers, Lauressie hopes to improve her situation—along with that of thousands of others.