A man helps pass a law to save others after not being able to save his wife. His wife died in front of the hospital after suffering an asthma attack.
Peter DeMarco told Boston radio station WBUR that his wife, Laura Beth Levis, had suffered an asthma attack in 2016 right outside of a Massachusetts hospital. He explained that she was just steps away from the emergency room entrance but could not find the right door.
Asthma attack a few steps from the ER door
DeMarco said that his wife found the wrong door, and it was locked and was then overcome before she could locate the right door. Since that day, he has been doing his best to pass a piece of legislation that requires easy access in every ER entrance in Massachusetts.
DeMarco aptly named the bill "Laura's Law," which is to prevent the tragedy that happened to his wife. The law is the first-ever with standards for lighting, signage, and security monitoring of doors.
Laura’s Law Passes! Shortly after 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday the Massachusetts legislature passed S.2931, An Act to ensure... Posted by Boston Center for Independent Living on Friday, January 8, 2021
Flooded the State House
Weeks after DeMarco and his family support the law by making hundreds of phone calls and sending emails to the officials, on January 6, the bill has finally passed. The bittersweet victory DeMarco has fought so hard has relieved him even though his wife is already gone.
DeMarco wrote a WBUR essay sharing the rollercoaster ride that he had gone through. In 2018, he wrote a touching tribute, "Losing Laura" for "The Boston Globe." It was his first advocate for his late wife.
Hospital staff claimed that Levis collapse in a parking lot or on a nearby street and never made it to the ER. However, he later learned that his late wife was on the ER doorstep when she called 911 before she had collapsed.
DeMarco wrote that his wife was just a few feet from help, but it never came. He pleaded for a healthcare change to prevent the same mistakes from reoccurring. He was determined to share his wife's' story, so others would not suffer as she did.
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Slow legislative process
On January 5, De Marco learned that his bill had a 50 percent chance not to pass. He was frustrated with the slow legislative process, even without a pandemic, so he thought smaller bills like Laura's Law have very little chance.
State Rep. Christine Barber and Sen. Pat Jehlen of Somerville, DeMarco's bill sponsors, advised him to flood the State House with emails, letters, and calls for his law to pass. The "fierce force" from many supporters have helped to make Laura's Law pass.
DeMarco could not help but thank the power of his "army" so that Levis' death would not go in vain. He noted how it took democracy to create something positive out of a tragedy.
