RALEIGH, N.C. — For most of my life, my 62-year-old grandmother has taken care of me. She has lived with anemia, several medical issues, and she needs a new heart.
But as I prepared to vote for the first time in the 2026 midterm elections, I found myself confronting a new reality. The woman who raised me since my mother passed away now needs someone to help care for her while navigating a healthcare system that does not provide her with enough insurance coverage for medications and treatments.
Despite fatigue and sickness, the weekend before Election Day, my grandmother drove eight hours to and from my hometown Raleigh, North Carolina to pick me up from Howard University so I could cast my first ballot. We took this long journey after she had recently been hospitalized and needed another iron infusion.
Despite her own medical challenges, and after working an eight-hour shift as a pharmacy technician at Walgreens, she was determined to make sure I voted.
“For me, you’re doing it for everybody else,” she told me during our drive.
Her words stayed with me as I thought about the healthcare challenges facing millions of families like mine and the decisions voters would make at the polls.
My grandmother has always been my protector, supporter and most dependable source of care. Now, as she grows older and faces mounting health concerns, our roles are beginning to shift. That transition has also changed how I think about politics.
For my family, debates over health care costs, prescription drug prices and insurance coverage are not abstract policy discussions. They are questions about whether my grandmother can afford the medical treatment she needs to stay alive. She has a family planning health insurance plan through her job, but the plan does not cover her medical treatments. Her experience reflects the financial pressures facing uninsured Americans who often must navigate medical expenses without the protection of health coverage.
As a college student, I am focused on completing my education and building a career. But I am also beginning to learn that adulthood can also mean taking on caregiving responsibilities for aging relatives. My grandmother’s determination to help me vote, even while struggling with her own health, reminded me that caregiving does not always end when the person providing it becomes the one who needs help.
Casting my first ballot was more than about choosing elected officials. For me, the 2026 midterm elections are personal. I casted my ballot for my grandmother, her health, and my growing responsibility to help care for the woman who has always taken care of me.
This soundslide story offers a glimpse into the medical challenges facing our family.
Torrie Walker is a student journalist for HUNewsService.com
