The First Lady Jill Biden hosted a screening Tuesday evening at the White House Family Theater for “No Ordinary Campaign,” a documentary chronicling the journey of former White House staffers Brian Wallach and Sandra Abrevaya following Brian’s ALS diagnosis.
Mrs. Biden, clad in a maroon dress and a silver brooch, entered the theater around 5:30 p.m. to deliver brief remarks.
The audience of approximately 40 individuals, seated and clutching boxes of popcorn, greeted her entrance. She remarked on the room’s quietness, likening it to her first day of class, which coincidentally was that day.
“You’re too quiet. It’s like, you know, this was my first day of school today. And when I walk in they’re usually like this hush because they don’t know what to do, you know, they’re so, like, kind of uneasy but then after the first 10 minutes, they all kind of ease up so I hope that’s what happens with this.”
The crowd chuckled.
Mrs. Biden proceeded to introduce Brian, Sandra, and their two daughters, Naomi and Ella. Brian, confined to a wheelchair, and Sandra joined the first lady on a dais in front of the theater-goers, while their daughters occupied the front row.
“They met working on the Obama-Biden campaign in 2008 when they both came to work at the White House,” Jill Biden remarked. “Apparently we didn’t keep them busy enough because along came marriage and a couple of beautiful girls.”
Brian received his ALS diagnosis in 2017, coinciding with the day he and his wife welcomed their second daughter home from the hospital. Since then, he has been an activist.
The documentary tracks Wallach and Abrevaya as they traverse the US, investigating the healthcare system’s management of rare and fatal diseases. Following FLOTUS’ comments, Sandra spoke briefly on Brian’s behalf.
“I have to admit that I never thought I would be in the White House movie theater for a screening of our documentary. And I certainly never thought I would follow our amazing first lady on a speaking program. The last time I stepped foot in the White House, I was here as a staff member wearing itchy suits, working late hours and sending emails where I looped in three new people on every reply. The last time I stepped foot in the White House, I also did not have a terminal illness. I could walk and talk, I could type on my Blackberry, and I could hug Sandra – my White House colleague and girlfriend at the time,” she conveyed on his behalf.
The Firs Lady Jill Biden expressed gratitude and departed before the screening, encouraging the audience to enjoy the documentary.
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