09/18/2026
๐๐ก๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐ง, ๐.๐.
So many moments to carry home. ๐
I came to Washington ready to listen, learn, connect, and advocate alongside people from across the country who share a commitment to improving the lives of those impacted by cancer.
Over these three days with ACS CAN, I experienced what advocacy looks like beyond the word itself.
It looks like learning before speaking.
It looks like listening to experiences beyond your own.
It looks like standing alongside a community with a shared purpose.
And it looks like bringing the stories of the people we serve into spaces where decisions are made.
Representing Coloradoโs 5th Congressional District was an opportunity I did not take lightly.
I showed up carrying many parts of who I amโa mother, daughter, researcher, leader, constituent, and cancer advocate. Each of those identities shaped how I listened, the questions I asked, and what I will carry forward from this experience.
And perhaps one of my biggest reminders from Washington is this:
You donโt have to know everything before you show up. You can enter the room ready to learnโand still bring something valuable with you.
Iโm returning home grateful for the conversations, connections, lessons, and people who made these three days meaningful.
Washington may have been three days.
But what I learned there will travel much further. ๐
Swipe through a few moments from the journey. โ