8 Americans Wrote to the White House About Their Lives. We Want You to Hear Their Stories:
Every day, tens of thousands of Americans write to our family. Some of their letters make us laugh. Some of their letters tear at our hearts. A lot of their letters remind Barack and me of our own lives. But all of their letters keep us connected to the stories of Americans across the country.
One of those letters came from Jason Gibson, a wounded warrior who wrote Barack last October. Jason sustained injuries serving our country in Afghanistan that led to the loss of both of his legs. Despite enduring 21 surgeries, he is unable to use prosthetics.
These injuries, however, haven't stopped Jason. He told Barack in his letter about how -- during the year he spent recovering in California -- he’d taken up surfing and skiing. He's completed multiple marathons on a hand cycle and earned his pilot’s license. Back home in Ohio, a non-profit group helped build Jason and his wife Kara a house specially designed for their needs. Jason told us something else too: Kara was pregnant with their first child, a baby girl. Quinn Leona Gibson was born on November 21, 2014.
Stories like Jason’s inspire me and Barack everyday. And this year, Jason and some of the other incredible Americans who have written us letters will join me in watching Barack deliver his State of the Union address at the Capitol. I can't wait to see them later today, and I'd like you to get to know them as well.
