John, when one of my sons was only 6 years old, he was attacked by a dog and got a terrible bite near his eye.

To this day, it remains one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of my life. We were seriously concerned that my son might lose his eye entirely. And to make matters more complex, we were out of town at the time and away from all of the doctors we would normally see.

I can still recall the chill that ran through my spine as we frantically took him to the nearest hospital. It didn't matter that I was a nurse – and that I'd seen plenty of injuries and wounds. I still felt the same helplessness and fear that overtakes any mother when her child is in danger.

On that day, I counted us as incredibly lucky to have found a hospital with doctors who could save his eye. But when I think about that day now, I also recognize just how lucky we were to be able to focus so exclusively on our son's health and not about whether doctors or hospitals were in-network or whether our insurance would accept the claims.

During my years as a nurse and again now on the campaign trail, I have heard so many stories about people rationing their insulin, mothers sitting in ER parking lots with their kids as they wait in case they deteriorate any further, and people not being able to afford the prescription drugs they need.

There is simply no reason why this should happen.

People should be able to focus exclusively on their well-being and the well-being of their loved ones – not haggling with their insurance companies and making sure they can afford both the care that they need and their mortgage or their next grocery bill.

Fixing this problem starts with electing leaders who will fight for real solutions and lift up the voices of families back home. You have my word that as  Missouri's next senator, I will work night and day to ensure that every family has access to high-quality, affordable healthcare – and I will get it done. But to win the change families are counting on, I need you to stand with me: Please, will you make a donation before my midnight deadline to help me flip this seat blue and get to Washington so that I can bring a nurse's heart to the Senate and finally fix our broken healthcare system?

With so much gratitude,

Trudy