Patient Testimonies | March 13, 2026
My name is Amelia Schachter and I’m a retired oncology nurse and a cancer survivor from Firestone, Colorado. Having dedicated my career to patient care and advocacy, I now bring that same dedication to my own lived experience navigating the high cost of prescription drugs.
My personal struggle began in 2020 when I was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer called myelofibrosis. I was prescribed a drug called Jakafi, manufactured by Incyte Corporation, which currently has a list price of $17,775.89 for 60 tablets. I no longer need to take Jakafi because I had a life-saving bone marrow transplant, but what concerns me is the financial burden that other patients with this blood disease have to bear in order to obtain this or other similar, rare, expensive drugs.
I also face the expense of periodic Botox injections to help relieve my chronic migraines, an essential treatment which can cost between $1,500 and $3,000 per session. Because I am forced to forego these injections due to unavailability and unaffordability, I endure more frequent and often debilitating migraines.
As a healthcare professional and advocate who then became a patient, I have witnessed the failures of a system that prioritizes profit over people from both sides. I am sharing my story and my voice to step up and ensure that all Coloradans, and all Americans, have guaranteed access to life-saving medications they need at prices they can afford.