Seconds after the pieces of red ribbon had fluttered to the ground in the shady playground, Seth Morano leaned back in his wheel chair, tilted his head for maximum projection, and shouted a short message:
"Two words! Let's play!"
David Morano, a salesman, is Seth's father. Every year, he brings his son to St. Petersburg for three weeks of intense physical therapy at All Children's Hospital.
Morano said the new therapy playground, with its specially designed swings and slides, will add some fun to Seth's treatment. Ann Romney spoke at the ceremony for about three minutes. Looking fit and energetic in bright pink with pearls and a large, clunky watch, she told a group of mostly Republican supporters and hospital insiders that she also knows a little something about physical therapy.
"I was diagnosed with ms at age 49 and I went into a pretty bad spiral. over just a matter of two or three months I lost the use of my right side.", Morano recounted. "I was having difficulty with speech and a lot of different issues and I turned to a joy place, for me, which was horses. And I turned to riding. And that physical therapy, that making your body work and pushing through the pain were a huge benefit in my life."
This 300-thousand-dollar playground is essentially the Tampa Bay Area's permanent souvenir of the Republican National Convention. It was a gift from the Credit Union National Association, which routinely lobbies and networks at the conventions of both parties. Bill Cheney - the association CEO - said Charlotte, North Carolina, can expect a similar playground at a children's hospital, when the Democratic convention opens there.
Democrats in the crowd seemed fascinated by Mrs.Romney. Many, like Seth's father, David Morano, had seen her convention speech the previous night, and even admired how her apparent warmth and charm seemed to compensate for the sometimes puzzling personality of her husband, Republican nominee Mitt Romney. But Morano is still voting for Obama.