Obama cites cancer victim in health care fight

US President Barack Obama Monday pleaded with lawmakers to pass his health reform bill, relating the heart-rending plight of a cancer victim at the 11th hour of a bitter debate.

Obama told the story of Ohio woman Natoma Canfield who survived cancer but was priced out of the health insurance market by rising premiums, and is now fighting for her life in hospital in a new bout with leukemia.

"You want to know why I am here Ohio? I?m here because of Natoma," Obama roared, in one of his most passionate attempts yet to convince lawmakers in the House of Representatives to back his reforms as a pivotal political week opens.

Canfield wrote to Obama about her story, after being forced to give up her health insurance after spending 10,000 dollars last year -- and he read out her letter to CEOs of health insurance giants two weeks ago at the White House.

But since then she has fallen ill again, being diagnosed with leukemia at the weekend and now faces weeks of costly chemotherapy.

"She is racked with worry not only about her illness but about the cost of the tests and treatments she will surely need to beat it," said Obama, who was introduced at the raucous rally by Canfield's sister Connie.

Obama's trip to Strongsville, outside Cleveland, in the economically struggling state of Ohio came as he whips up the campaign for congressional votes this week, before his delayed trip to Asia and the Pacific on Sunday.

The president, summoning the kind of passion some Democratic critics have complained was missing throughout much of the year-long health care debate, also invoked the final months of his mother, who died of cancer.

"In the last six months of her life, (she was) on the phone in her hospital room arguing with insurance companies instead of focusing on getting well and spending time with her family," Obama said.

Obama is piling pressure on wavering Democrats in the House to back his bill as part of an intricate legislative maneuver, also involving the Senate, to get health insurance passed this week.

Failure would deal a staggering blow to his presidency, and his hopes for sweeping domestic reforms, and embolden his Republican foes as political temperatures explode ahead of mid-term congressional polls in November.