Real Stories, Real People
Patient Testimonies
My name is Marcus, and Nov. 25, 2000 will always be seared into my mind as the day my life changed. It was my sophomore year of high school. I was going to the bathroom once every five minutes and was very lethargic. No matter what I ate, I kept having to pee. I wrote […]
Patient Testimonies
I know what it's like to live without.
My name is Valerie and I’m from Long Beach, CA. I live with rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and bipolar disorder, and I’m advocating for affordable prescription drugs because I know what it’s like to live without. Though I initially had a hard time finding doctors who believed my pain, I was finally diagnosed with both RA […]
Patient Testimonies
Patients like me have to plan our whole lives around the costs.
My name is Kaitlyn May and I live in Plattsburg, Missouri. When I was 15 years old I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a chronic, long-term disease that affects my liver. After spending two and a half years trying to determine my diagnosis, I mostly focused on the health side […]
Patient Testimonies
Drug prices have forced me to ration my multiple sclerosis meds.
My name is Carol and I’m from Bisbee, AZ. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2004 and began receiving daily Copaxone injectionsin 2005. I was shocked at the price tag — if I recall correctly, my insurance plan was billed $1,500 each month, and the price of Copaxone kept rising. At one point, my […]
Patient Testimonies
Drug company greed took five years of my life from me.
My name is Rachel Conner and I live in Chapmansboro, Tennessee. When I was 20 years old, I was diagnosed with OCD and depression. I lived in a constant state of anxiety, to the point that I was only sleeping 45 minutes a night and often couldn’t eat because of my anxiety. In 2011, I […]
Patient Testimonies
An extremely expensive diagnosis.
My name is Amber Gore and I live in Joliet, Illinois. In November of 2013, while I was a senior in high school, I injured myself while cheerleading. I went to the doctor and after checking my vitals, the doctors discovered that I have type 1 diabetes. I quickly realized that type 1 diabetes can […]
Patient Testimonies
I pay $600 on prescriptions each month.
My name is Jane and I’m from Phoenix, AZ. I’m now 65 years old, and I have lived with diabetes since I was 11. Insulin makes up the bulk of my medication costs. This year, I watched as my copay for a one-month supply of Levemir, a long-acting insulin, skyrocketed from $20 to $180. I […]
Patient Testimonies
I worry about my daughter's future.
My name is Kristen and I’m from Plymouth, Massachusetts. I have two children, a 9-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter. They both have autism spectrum disorder and my daughter also has type 1 diabetes. Struggling to cover expensive treatments and supplies while trying to secure affordable, quality health insurance has been a relentless challenge, one […]