Ryan Moore was born in South Sioux City, Nebraska and has a medical condition called spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia dwarfism - a rare disorder of bone growth that results in dwarfism, characteristic skeletal abnormalities, and occasional problems with vision and hearing.

When he was a young man, his father Brian had difficulty finding work as employers were unwilling to cover treatment for his medical condition and employers were hesitant to insure the family. A health care advocacy organization selected Moore and his family among 10 from across the country to participate in a congressional hearing on health care reform. The organization was looking for families with health care issues.

At the aforementioned congressional hearing on health care reform back in 1994 at the The White House in Washington, DC, Ryan, 7 at the time, met Democratic nominee for President Hillary Clinton for the first time. While speaking that day, then first lady Hillary Clinton acknowledged Ryan in the crowd, even bringing him up on stage during her speech.

Ryan says: "Having her continue to fight for healthcare has basically removed the preexisting condition factor and just really assured me that as an adult male, i will always have health care."

The two have kept in touch over the past 22 years it was just last week, Clinton's personal assistant called Ryan's mother to ask if he would take the podium.

Moore, who works as an instructional technology leader for the South Sioux City School District and a sports correspondent for the Dakota County Star, will be speaking during Tuesday's program “A Lifetime of Fighting for Children and Families.”

Ryan said Clinton remained in touch over the years. She mentioned him in two books she has written, including the 1996 It takes a village.

About being asked to give a speech at the DNC, he says: "That was about the furthest thing from our minds when that whole correspondence was going on that that would be a possibility." And he's already submitted a version of his speech to the Clinton campaign.

Ryan continues: "It's just going to be my personal story with Hillary and myself, just kind of what I've seen in our friendship that I feel like will make her a great president." He says it doesn't feel quite real yet, but he's grateful for an opportunity of this magnitude. "It'll hit me pretty hard then, but right now it's kind of a whirl wind and just a humbling honor to be apart of something like this."  

Health, Healthcare, Healthcare Policy, Democratic Party