Savannah Watts, left, and her daughter, Lilith, gaze at a candle Wednesday during a special ceremony at First Christian Church in Carbondale.

Community members met to lament and show solidarity in reaction to the election of Republican Donald Trump as president. Lilith, 2, was born with spina bifida and she cannot walk on her own.

Her mother said Wednesday night the election held great consequences for her family, especially because they rely on federal assistance for Lilith’s medical treatment. Watts said she fears the family could lose healthcare benefits they receive through the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, which Trump has vowed to repeal.

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“I cried a lot last night,” Watts said of her initial reaction to the news that Trump would become the 45th president of the United States. “It was even hard even to get out of bed this morning.”

Campus editor Bill Lukitsch can be reached at 618-563-3327 or on Twitter at @lukitsbill. 

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