Karen Battaglia, trauma coordinator for emergency services at Northwestern Medicine McHenry, said asthma has affected five generations of her family. This was particularly challenging for Battaglia – who was diagnosed with asthma at 12 – during one of her pregnancies. The associated bills led to her filing for bankruptcy. Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, who invited Battaglia to be her guest during President Donald Trump's 2020 State of the Union address, said it was her hope that stories like Battaglia's could lead to a call for action on health care issues like the cost of prescription drugs and changes to the Affordable Care Act. "I’m so honored that when President Trump looks our way during the State of the Union, he’ll see not one, but two nurses with pre-existing conditions who are fiercely fighting for their community," Underwood said during a conference call Tuesday. There are around 5.4 million Illinoisans—like Underwood and Battaglia — that live with a preexisting condition and are at risk of losing their health care coverage should the Affordable Care Act be repealed.