Late in 2016, Sandra began experiencing extreme chronic fatigue that left with her with little energy to do anything but rest. After visiting several physicians, she finally got her diagnosis: an inflammatory disease that affects multiple organs (primarily the lungs and lymph glands). But she received even worse news later – she would have to go through step therapy.
However, Sandra didn’t find out she was going through step therapy for nearly 18 months. In that time, she experienced intense pain while failing an alternate therapy. “I was livid when I found out there was a better drug I could have been on this whole time that would have treated my disease more effectively and without all the negative side effects of prednisone,” she would later say. While Sandra is now on a therapy that is working for her, she remains concerned that she won’t be able to access more advanced treatments as they come to market.
