The greatest lesson I learned from my father, Dr. Bob Lorinser

Let me tell you about my dad.

I grew up in a house where medicine wasn't just a career for a family physician. It was my dad's calling to make a difference by healing people in need.

Late at night, in his scrubs and an old, weathered hoodie, Dad regularly visited with patients in our living room who couldn't afford to go to the clinic. For him, service is a vocation.

He would campaign in that hoodie if my mom allowed it.

I've never seen a "politician" like him. I can only imagine what strangers think of the private life of a congressional candidate, physician, public health administrator, and diplomat, but they're probably wrong.

 

My dad specialized in family care. His primary focus was caring for Medicaid and Medicare recipients, substance abuse victims, disabled Veterans, and working-class families with children with behavior issues.

He would administer vaccines for players on my hockey team for free because he knew a healthy team was a winning team. The same applies to his constituency. He knows citizens cannot thrive without preventative care.

The healthcare system is failing.

 

That's one of my dad's core messages for Congress. Outrageously high medical bills, insurance disputes, a lack of mental health services, or citizens avoiding care altogether because of unaffordability and inaccessibility.

 

Before we moved to the rural heartland, Dad got his moniker "Dr. Bob" from Native children while working at a clinic in Navajo Nation, serving an impoverished and disadvantaged community. It's where I learned cultural competency.

 

Dr. Bob grew up in a split working-class home with five siblings. My grandfather was a union railroad worker, and my grandmother was a union nurse.

Growing up, my dad wanted to be a doctor or a garbage man because "they both help people." He considers himself lucky, working his way up from community college to medical school, and now he wants to provide similar opportunities for all Americans.

One of the greatest lessons I've learned from my father is compassion for the vulnerable. 

He and I grew up differently. His family struggled with bouts of poverty and sometimes relied on government assistance. But, as he would say, that perspective makes him blessed. 

Dr. Bob blessed me with some profound life lessons. One, I'll never forget...

In 9th grade, a friend and I came home from school frustrated that our classmate did better than us on a test. They utilized a reading aide, and the teacher granted the student more time. 

"They don't need it. It's unfair!" My friend and I snickered jealously and poked fun at the other boy. In our unedified minds, they cheated, and we were victims. We were catty teens, 14 or 15, and our brains were still developing.

Usually very quiet and casual at home, my dad then perked up. It was one of the only times he raised his voice at me. Really.

"Both of you, right now, stop!" he said. "No. You don't know your classmate's situation or disability. They deserve the accomplishment, and it takes a lot of courage to ask for help when you need it. No one is less than you because of they overcame a disadvantage."

My father also studied with monks for a summer in Germany and was taught only to talk when you have something important to say. To him, this was clearly important.

It was one of my first lessons in the fairness of equity, and I never made that mistake again. 

He's running for Congress to make the future brighter for his grandchildren and the next generation. For the same reasons he was a social worker at a Veterans hospital, served in the State Department, and became a public health medical director during COVID, his motivation to get to Washington DC is all from a sense of duty to the country.

 

With your help, my dad is committed to healing policy. He wants to alleviate the pain of struggling rural communities, and his most significant initiative is universal healthcare.

 

He needs you in his corner to lead in Congress and create a publicly financed non-profit national health insurance program that fully covers medical costs for all Americans — including palliative and mental healthcare.

 

Can you chip in for Bob Lorinser today? His presumed Republican opponent is a MAGA disappointment. Still, against dark money and Super PACs, our family operation is trying to create a grassroots movement in the Midwest that will ignite and inspire quality Democratic candidates up and down the ballot.

Thank you for considering a contribution.

SEND / MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: "Friends of Dr. Bob" PO Box 936, Marquette, MI, United States, 49855