Kelly, I'm so glad you are going to add to this so it can be there to help folks understand the importance of advocating for themselves.
Many of us might just take that for granted. But over the years I have worked with so many people who don't believe they can (or should) question "authority figures."
And frankly, some of those authority figures don't invite those kinds of questions.
Your story is an excellent example of persisting in a polite, firm manner with very important results. And you write so well.