A Childhood of Struggle, A Lifetime of Resilience

Elizabeth grew up in poverty in Ohio, watching her family struggle to make ends meet while she battled a mysterious illness that doctors couldn't diagnose. For years, she suffered from unexplained symptoms—chronic pain, joint instability, and complications that left her feeling overlooked by the very healthcare system that was supposed to help her.

She refused to accept "we don't know" as an answer.

Determined to understand her own body and help others facing the same struggles, Elizabeth pursued nursing. It wasn't until she was 37 years old—after becoming a registered nurse herself—that she finally cracked the code. She had Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a genetic connective tissue disorder that had gone undiagnosed her entire life.

That experience—of being invisible to a broken system, of having to fight for answers that should have come with compassion—shaped everything about who Elizabeth is today.

Building a Family Against All Odds

Elizabeth's journey to motherhood mirrors the resilience she's shown her entire life. She and her husband Sean became parents through both adoption and IVF. In 2014, they welcomed their daughter through adoption—a beautiful 11-year-old who reminds Elizabeth every day why families deserve support, not judgment.

In 2018, after undergoing IVF treatment and the kind of pregnancy complications that Elizabeth had spent her career helping other patients overcome, she gave birth to their son.

Elizabeth knows firsthand what it's like to sit in a waiting room, wondering if you'll ever be able to afford the treatment you need. She knows what it's like to face a healthcare system that treats starting a family as a luxury instead of a fundamental human right.

That's why she fights so hard for access to care. Because she's been there.

A Nationally Recognized Nurse Expert

For over a decade, Elizabeth has been a driving force in reproductive healthcare. As a Board Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA) and Certified Reproductive Health and Infertility Nurse (C-RHI), she's worked at some of the nation's most innovative fertility clinics, helping thousands of patients navigate the complex, overwhelming journey to parenthood.

Her expertise isn't just clinical—it's operational. Elizabeth has transformed fertility clinic workflows, expanded financial access to care, and trained countless medical professionals on how to put patients first. She's been featured on Inside Reproductive Health, invited to Capitol Hill to lobby for federal IVF protections, and has partnered with national organizations to advance legislation protecting all aspects of reproductive medicine.

In 2024, Elizabeth founded The Empowered Choice Coalition, dedicated to patient education and informed decision-making in healthcare, because she believes every patient deserves to understand their options and make choices based on knowledge, not fear.

She also served as State Chair for Reproductive Freedom for All Arizona Action Council, building community and fighting to protect reproductive rights in Arizona.

Professional Recognition That Speaks Volumes

Elizabeth is a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), the Pacific Coast Reproductive Society (PCRS), and RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. She was also in the Inaugural Class of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s Policy Fellowship and continues serving as a mentor to other professionals looking to take their advocacy to the next level.

For the last two years, Elizabeth has acted as State Captain of the Arizona Delegation for Federal Advocacy Day—organizing, training, and leading national lobbying efforts to expand access to fertility care. Because of these tireless efforts, Elizabeth has been recognized as a national thought leader in expanding access to fertility care.

Her colleagues describe her as someone who "operates at the unique intersection of operational efficiency and patient care," always placing patient experiences at the forefront. As one clinic director said, "Elizabeth demonstrates genuine care for her team members and fosters a supportive and collaborative workplace. Her contributions were instrumental in enhancing our organizational performance."

When Healthcare Becomes Personal: The Surgical Accident

Elizabeth's commitment to patient safety and medical transparency became even more personal when she experienced a surgical accident that paralyzed her dominant arm. She worked for over a year to re-learn how to write, eat, and make use of the remaining function in her hand.

Then, after suffering the devastating consequences of an inadequately disclosed black box medication warning, she learned intimately what too many patients learn the hard way: that the healthcare system often fails to protect the people it's supposed to serve.

These experiences—being a patient with an undiagnosed genetic disease, surviving medical and surgical errors, fighting for fertility care, navigating a system that often seems designed to say "no"—aren't just part of Elizabeth's biography. They're her credentials.

Why Congress? Why Now?

Elizabeth has spent her entire career advocating for patients one at a time. Now, she's ready to fight for millions.

She's watched too many patients ration their insulin because they can't afford it. She's held the hands of too many women who've been told their pregnancy complications don't matter. She's seen too many families choose between paying for healthcare and paying for groceries.

And she's done seeing her patients betrayed by politicians who've never had to fight for a diagnosis, never had to choose between treatment and bankruptcy, never had to explain to their parent that the only medicine available to keep them alive is unaffordable.

"I didn't wake up one day and decide to run for Congress...

I've spent over a decade as a nurse and patient advocate, helping thousands of people navigate some of the most emotionally complex, financially devastating, and deeply personal experiences of their lives.

I'm running because YOU deserve someone who will fight for you the way I've fought for my patients and for my own care."

-Elizabeth Lee