In the summer of 2012, I received a letter from my insurance company, politely asking that I return to them $110,000 in payments made for my partner’s cancer treatments. Like many Mainers, I suddenly found myself in the belly of the American health care beast: the abstract politics of our byzantine system roared home. I had joined a rapidly growing club.

Republicans wrung their hands, then took our money to pay for their own lifelong health care. “Our senator” never called me back. And here we are, six years later, and there still is a health care crisis.

The good news is that Maine has a new shot at electing a governor with a long history of fighting for the rights of its citizens: Janet Mills.

Like many of us, Mills found herself whiplashed by insurance companies, exploitive drug companies and red tape when her husband died three years ago. We were the lucky ones with insurance and still it was a nightmare.

This isn’t the only reason to vote for Janet Mills. While other candidates float their hopes, Mills has actually done the hard work. While candidates float their politically correct “would’ves,” “should’ves” and “will dos,” Mills has filed lawsuits against Big Pharma, made Wall Street accountable and sued the Trump administration to keep our air clean, protect our Dreamers and halt the inhumane treatment of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. She has been a long-term advocate for common-sense gun reform.

While other candidates float their “will dos,” Mills has kept hope above water.

I was lucky. Mills was lucky. We had insurance.

But if, like me, you’re dead tired of hearing politicians float their “will dos,” and want a governor who “has done” the hard work, then vote for Janet Mills in the June 12 Democratic primary, and get this state on the move again toward fairness, justice, economic equality and common sense.

Ardis Cameron

South Portland