I was asked by a reporter yesterday why I work as hard as I do and seem to spend so much time in airplanes and airports. Here are just a couple of reasons, and a couple of clients:

In 2007, a 19-year-old dancer, Stephanie Smith, sickened by E. coli-tainted hamburger, was left brain damaged and paralyzed and with $2,500,000 in medical bills. Her story found its way to the front page of the New York Times in 2009 and landed the paper and its investigative reporter, Michael Moss, a Pulitzer Prize. Her case against Cargill settled shortly before trial in 2010 for an amount “to care for her for life.”

In 2009 Linda Rivera, a 57-year-old mother of six from Nevada, was stricken with what one doctor described as “the severest multi-organ (bowel, kidney, brain, lung, gall bladder, pancreas) case of E. coli mediated Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome I have seen in my extensive experience.” Linda’s story hit the front page of the Washington Post and became Senator Harry Reid’s touchstone for moving the Food Safety Bill in 2010. Linda, as of today, has been hospitalized since May of 2009 and has incurred nearly $5,500,000 in medical expenses.

I still have much more to do.