To everyone in B.C. living with MS: your voice matters. Please share your stories, your journeys, and your experiences with accessing MS medications in our province — and send them directly to the government at the emails below. Every story shared to them helps show the reality of MS care in B.C. and pushes us closer to fair, compassionate treatment for all. PATIENTS - Real People’s voices & struggles! They need to HEAR US & SEE us ALL! 💪🧡                

premier@gov.bc.ca.

HLTH.Minister@gov.bc.ca hlth.dmoffice@gov.bc.ca MSP.Minister@gov.bc.ca

Urgent Request for Action: B.C.’s Failure to Provide Lifesaving MS Treatment for RRMS Patients

Dear Premier David Eby and Minister Osborne,

My name is Cassandra, and I am writing again to you today out of urgency, fear, and deep frustration. I have been seeking answers and support , and to date I have received no adequate response to fulfil the questions being asked by MANY RRMS patients like myself -  Although I received a message back from the Premiers Office - it didn’t address much … I am reaching out once again because the situation facing Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) patients in British Columbia is impossible to ignore.

I recently completed an interview with GlobalBC News on November 12, where I shared my story - but also the reality of what RRMS patients in B.C. are going through. Since then, I have heard from countless patients across the province - I knew we had a problem & I am absolutely crushed at JUST how big that problem is. I have also been reading the Ministry’s responses to individuals who have reached out for help, and it has been heartbreaking. The answers they are receiving offer no hope, no solutions, and no acknowledgement of how devastating this situation truly is for those of us living with MS. 

I have lived with RRMS for many years. Eight years ago, when my optic nerves were under relentless attack and my vision was slipping away, Ocrevus became the medication that saved my life. It restored my sight, stopped my relapses, and allowed me to be present for my children instead of in bed 24/7 in a dark room..

When I received my infusion medication for what might be the last time,it hit me in a way I wasn’t prepared for. There’s a unique kind of fear that comes with MS — not just the fear of symptoms, but the fear of losing pieces of your life you can never get back.

For me, that fear is my vision.

I want to see my children grow into who they’re meant to be. I want to see their milestones, their victories, their ordinary little moments. Those are the things MS threatens to take from me… and from so many others.

MS is complex. It doesn’t look the same for any two people — RRMS, PPMS, SPMS — each pathway is unpredictable. Many of us require strong, high-efficacy medications right from the start, not years down the line when the damage is already done.

But a recent change to my husband’s insurance policy means I will lose access by the spring. Without Ocrevus — without any high-efficacy treatment — I face overwhelming consequences: worsening mobility, crippling fatigue, pain, spasms, and the very real possibility of permanent vision loss or severe disability.

What makes this even more devastating is that every other province in Canada covers modern, high-efficacy MS medications such as Ocrevus and Kesimpta for RRMS patients. British Columbia stands entirely alone in denying this level of care.

In B.C., Ocrevus is restricted to Primary Progressive MS (PPMS) only. Kesimpta is not covered for RRMS at all. The province continues to offer only older, less-effective therapies that most of Canada has already moved beyond — and RRMS patients are forced into a system that demands “failing” mid-line medications before we can even be considered for older drugs like Rituxan or even newer  Mavenclad. These options come with higher infection risks, harsher side effects, and far less efficacy.

Meanwhile, people like me continue to decline.

RRMS is not a condition that waits. It does not pause for policy. Damage becomes permanent. Disability becomes irreversible. Forcing patients to deteriorate before granting treatment, contradicts the standards used across Canada and internationally.

This crisis is bigger than me. Hundreds of RRMS patients across B.C. are living this same nightmare. Many have never once been able to access the medications that are considered standard, first-line care in other provinces. Neurologists, MS specialists, patient advocates, and healthcare organizations are all calling for change — yet B.C. remains years behind & chooses not to listen & create their own rule of law in regards to OUR livelihoods. 

I am asking you directly:

Why are British Columbians with RRMS being denied the same modern treatments that every other Canadian has access to?

Why must we become disabled before we are allowed the medications that could prevent it?

Why must patients fight their own government for the chance to protect their mobility, independence, and vision?

B.C. has some of the highest MS rates in the country. Our province should be leading, not falling behind.

Premier Eby, Minister Osborne — we need your leadership. Your decisions determine whether RRMS patients in this province can continue their lives with dignity, safety, and hope.

I urge you to take immediate action to:

• Approve coverage for high-efficacy RRMS therapies such as Ocrevus and Kesimpta

• End the outdated “fail first” policy that forces preventable disability

• Bring B.C. back in line with national standards of MS care

No one in this province should have to live in fear of blindness, paralysis, or debilitating decline when effective treatments already exist.

I am asking — not just for myself, but for every RRMS patient in British Columbia — that you address this issue promptly . Our lives, our futures, and our ability to remain independent depend on it.

Thank you for your time and attention. I hope you will finally see us & HEAR our calls for help. 

Please see petition for call to action & please read the updates as well. If I could share my private support groups with you, I’m sure your hearts would break as well.. 

Sincerely,

Cassandra Nieman

MS Warrior 

RRMS Patient & Patient Advocate.

Richmond, B.C.