Congressional Candidate Patrick Hope Suffers Rib Injuries While Campaigning

Congressional candidate Patrick Hope has a broken rib after falling down stairs Sunday morning while out campaigning, according to a news release from his campaign.

Hope, a state delegate who is running in the Democratic primary for the 8th congressional District seat, fell down stairs in the Woodlawn neighborhood in Fairfax County, his campaign said.

He learned at Virginia Hospital Center that he has a broken rib, some fractured ribs and bruising. Hope is resting at home in Arlington with a doctor-prescribed rib belt and pain killers, his campaign said.

"I'd like to thank everyone who has called me with concern since the news of my fall broke this afternoon," Hope said in a statement. "I am resting comfortably at home in Arlington now. I've knocked on 13,000 doors in the last five years, and dealt with a few misjudged stairs, a dog bite and a couple of ankle sprains and never missed a beat. A rib break will cause me to miss some time on the campaign trail however."

Hope took the opportunity to wonder just what some uninsured residents of the 8th congressional District would do if they were in the same situation.

"While I was in the hospital waiting for x-rays, I had some time to think about this injury.  There are around 84,000 residents of the 8th Congressional District who do not have insurance. In fact, many of them live near Route 1 in Fairfax County where I was door knocking. What would they have done if they suffered a similar injury?  Many of them may have chosen not to go to a hospital and waited to see if the injury would heal on its own.

"Rather than be prescribed painkillers would they would have tried to take enough Tylenol to get by? Those that did go to a hospital would likely have been unable to pay for their care- and those costs would be passed on to all of us with increased premiums.  That's why I have said my first bill in Congress will be one to take in the 20,000,000+ Americans that will be uninsured even after Obamacare is fully implemented so that every American will have health care.

"When I thought about those who are uninsured and need our help- I decided that the campaign will go on- even if we need to make some changes.  Because I will be unable to visit every precinct as we planned on our "Every Neighborhood Matters" tour, I am committing today to personally call voters in those precincts I am unable to visit.  The campaign will go on- and I will continue to fight for those uninsured Americans that deserve the same quality of care that I received today."