Today is my mom, Lynda’s, birthday! She would have been 74 years old.
I learned a lot from my mom. Everything from comforting things (like this chili recipe!) to something much bigger: what it really means to care for someone, and what happens when our systems, including our healthcare system, make it harder than it should be.
My mom was chronically ill for almost my whole life. I spent my childhood with her struggling to walk around, and my teenage years sitting beside her bed, her chair, and visiting her in the hospital. When she became wheelchair-bound, I helped her get around, helped my dad get her to appointments, and saw up close how exhausting—and expensive—it all was, especially for my dad.
At 27, I held my mom’s hand and played her favorite songs for her as we took her off life support.
And here is the truth: even in all of this, we were still very blessed. My dad worked at Ford, and the insurance that came with his job meant my mom could get the care she needed for years. Without it, our family’s story would have been very different. I’ve seen what it looks like when people can get care, and what happens when they can’t.
That’s something I carry with me all the time, because I’m very aware that not everyone is that blessed.
Between the ever-increasing costs, the frustrating experiences of prior authorizations, and politicians in D.C. cutting people off Medicaid, healthcare is one of the topics that comes up the most on the campaign trail.
I hear from folks in our district whose stories echo my mom’s, but without the safety net: families drowning in medical debt; seniors splitting pills to stretch their medications; parents who are terrified of what Medicaid job requirements will mean for their adult children with mental health issues who struggle to stay on their meds and hold a full-time job; single parents who frequently have to choose between filling a prescription and buying groceries; and people driving to Canada to get medications cheaper than they can here.
I believe that healthcare is a human right, and that every American should be able to get the care they need, when they need it, without going bankrupt.
Expanding healthcare access to every American is not about political slogans to me. It’s a matter of my lived experiences, the stories of my community, and even of my faith.
I will not stop fighting until every American can access affordable, quality healthcare—no matter how we get there.
Despite the constant disagreements in Congress, there is so much we can agree on to make care more affordable for families in our community, and those reforms are more important than ever.
We don’t have to start from scratch to fix it. We already have programs that work, Medicare and Medicaid, that millions of families, including mine, rely on every day. They are incredibly popular, boasting 70–80 percent favorability. We should be strengthening them, expanding access, and building toward a system where everyone in this country can afford the care they need.
Here’s what I want to work on right away in Congress:
Cap premiums and out-of-pocket costs—It shouldn’t matter where you get your insurance—public or private; everyone deserves affordable care.
Negotiate prices for more prescriptions—These drug prices are way too high because America is subsidizing drug prices for the rest of the world. We need to protect the American people.
Strengthen and expand the ACA, Medicare, and Medicaid—So that every family, every senior, and every child can count on stable, affordable coverage.
Support early buy-in to Medicare for Americans who have served our country—Our police officers and other public servants should be able to retire with dignity after serving our communities, but we need to give them a real healthcare option to do so.
Ban surprise bills—Families deserve transparency and fairness, not gotcha charges.
Invest in doctors, nurses, and rural care—Access doesn’t mean much if there’s no one nearby to see you, so we need to invest in the people and regions that need support and demand safe staffing across the board.
Roll back the Trump Administration’s DOGE firings that prevent the FDA from testing drugs and infant formula for safety.
Support preventative care—Invest in local farms, healthy food options, expand paid family leave, and help people stay healthy in the first place, not just get treated after they’re already sick.
To me, these are common-sense reforms. They are the difference between a family being able to focus on healing or being consumed by stress, bills, and impossible choices.
Here is what my mom really taught me: care isn’t just about medicine. Love listens and shows up. It shows up in hospital rooms, in the casserole when they get home, and in the caretaking in the days, months, and years that follow. That’s what I want our country to do, too: show up for each other.
When I think about my mom, about how she smiled and sang even when she was in pain, I remember what love and faith really look like. They are steady. They endure.
That’s the kind of leadership I want to bring to Congress: leadership that shows up, that helps constituents, that heals our nation, and that never turns anyone away.
If you believe in bringing that kind of leadership to D.C., or if you believe that healthcare should be a right and not a privilege, I hope you will join our campaign.
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Happy Heavenly Birthday, Mom!
Can't donate right now Senior on SS, doesn't go far but grateful to have it! You will have my vote for sure!