|
My son and I on the farm in 2021.
Multiple miracles occurred that day: When it initially happened he wasn’t in pain because his nerves were pinched so tightly in the machine. Nor was he bleeding because he was caught so tight in there.
It took the jaws of life to tear apart that machine and when the metal finally gave way he let out a scream that I will never forget for the rest of my life.
The paramedics quickly sprang into action and he was airlifted to Jackson, Mississippi, where Doctors fought to save his leg, but the injury and infection from all the dirt and debris were too severe. Justin lost his leg from below the knee.
That day could have broken us. Instead, it showed me what makes Louisiana strong.
Neighbors, first responders from two parishes (what we call counties in Louisiana), and a doctor who wasn’t even on duty, Dr. Ron Gregg, a farmer himself and longtime family friend — showed up because that’s what rural communities do. They take care of each other. They don’t ask if it’s their job or jurisdiction. They just show up.
Today, Justin is 35. He runs our farm. He’s built a life, with a fiancée and a family of his own. He still hunts, fishes, and works the land — just with a prosthetic leg and the same determination that carried him through that day.
But the truth is, the kind of community that saved Justin is disappearing. Rural hospitals are closing. Doctors like Dr. Gregg—who live in our communities, who know our families—are harder to find. Too many of our kids feel like they have to leave home to build a future.
And my family, who first worked this Louisiana delta soil as slaves and sharecroppers, and now as farmers who own this land, have put too much blood into this soil for us to leave and go somewhere else.
I have to take a stand and fight for our way of life and it’s why I am proud to be the Democrat running for Senate in Louisiana.
If you believe in that fight, I’m asking you to stand with me today. A Democratic win here is the first step in taking our state back from the far-right whose policies of atomization and vicious corporatism are tearing our communities apart.
And mark my words, a win is possible, Democrats just won a deep red special election here by a landslide. The blue wave will wash over Louisiana and we will flip this seat but only if we fight for it. Will you please make a contribution of $25, $10, or even just $5 to help us in our fight to restore the Louisiana that we love so dearly.
| 
