John,

Jon and I are pretty familiar with the drive from our home in Big Sandy to Great Falls. It’s how Jon travels between the farm and the Senate. It’s the route we take to go get haircuts, replacement parts for the tractor, you name it.

And four years ago, it became the route we took to go get my chemotherapy treatments after I was diagnosed with breast cancer in the spring of 2020.

I was lucky that I caught it early and lucky to receive the best care from the doctors and nurses at Benefis Sletten Cancer Institute in Great Falls. I was also blessed to have the best support system in the world: Jon and our children. They got me through.

As I’m counting my blessings, I can’t help but think of the folks who aren’t as fortunate as I have been. Folks who don’t have affordable health insurance to rely on in the face of a terrifying cancer diagnosis. Who need to travel hundreds of miles for treatment. Or those who don’t catch it early because getting a routine screening means they can’t put food on the table that night. The folks who choose between paying for treatment or paying their bills.

In a great country like ours, no family should have to break the bank to get treatment for their illnesses. We’ve come a long way in the fight for affordable health care, but there’s still work to be done.

This fight is personal to Jon and me, and my hope is that it resonates with you, too. Montana needs a champion in the Senate who will fight for folks to have the affordable coverage we need to catch cancer early and treat it well — and not worry about the cost of saving their own life.

Thanks for listening,

Sharla

P.S. Do your monthly self-examinations — they can save lives. They saved mine.