I didn't grow up with money. I worked hard to build a life, a career, and the ability to stand on my own. But professional success didn't protect me from becoming a mother who couldn't get the help her child needed.

When my autistic son was taken by someone I once trusted, I found myself fighting to bring him home and navigating a system that too often failed to hear us. I knew the law. I knew how to advocate. And there were still moments when I felt powerless.

But that isn't where our story ends.

Brian Mast, Gayle Harrell, John Snyder, and the sheriff's department helped my family when we needed it most. People listened. They took action. And the system I had struggled within ultimately helped protect my children and bring us to safety.

I carry both experiences with me: the heartbreak of being failed and the gratitude of being protected. Both shaped the public servant I want to be.

I believe in what government can do because I've lived what happens when it works. I also know why we must keep working to make it better.

Behind every unanswered call, delayed decision, and gap in services is someone trying to hold their life together. And behind every public servant willing to act is the possibility of changing that person's life.

I bring the strength to fight, the experience to navigate difficult systems, and the determination to get things done. But I also bring something deeply personal: I understand why those things matter.

I know how to move things forward—and I know what it costs families when nothing moves.