When Andy was diagnosed with cancer just one year into our relationship, I became his primary caregiver — with him through the ups and the downs, making sure that he had everything he needed, and in the end, holding his hand as he passed away.
I know how difficult it is to balance a full-time job with taking care of someone I love because I lived it. Being a caregiver is the most important role I’ve ever had. In many ways, we were lucky.
Paid leave allowed him to focus on the full-time job of getting care. And my employer’s flexibility allowed me to be there by his side to care for him.
Through our struggle, and sharing with others, I came across so many other families who simply didn’t have that same benefit. Patients who were forced to choose between their job and their health care. Parents going back to work days after giving birth. Family members who had to choose between their paycheck and their loved one’s needs.
My experience with Andy anchored so much of my work as a state senator in Delaware — from getting paid leave passed to expanding healthcare in rural communities.
But there is so much more our government must do to support people when hard times hit and to do something about the very real pain so many feel across our country.
That’s why I ran for Congress, and that’s what you can count on me to fight for in Washington — and I won’t get distracted by the people who are trying to divide our country with their agenda of hate.
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