Allison Sharkey knows a thing or two about perseverance. She didn’t let the Blizzard of 2016 stop her from getting married to her husband Juan Rodriguez earlier this year. She also didn’t let the early birth of her daughter Leyda stop her from voting Tuesday.
“The election was too important to miss,” the Philadelphia couple told NBC10.
Allison’s daughter Leyda Elaine Rodriguez was born Monday at 2:34 a.m., a week before her expected due date. After doctors allowed her to go home Monday afternoon, Allison decided she was strong enough to go out and vote. Only a day after giving birth, Allison, her sister and Leyda went to their polling place a few blocks away from their home in the Francisville section of Philly.
“Maybe it was a postpartum high,” Allison said.
Young Leyda was a big hit with the crowd of voters who gathered at the polling place Tuesday, with many asking to take pictures. Allison took a photo of her daughter wearing a ‘He Votado Hoy,’ sticker on her head.
“She was the youngest voter there,” Allison said.
It was the latest big moment in a memorable year for Allison and Juan. Last January the couple managed to brave Blizzard conditions and got married in Delaware the same weekend a powerful winter storm slammed the East Coast.
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“There’s something about these extreme circumstances,” Allison said while laughing.
