Across our nation, many are forced to the most risky method of obtaining life-saving medications. As a mother of a child whose life relies on medications every twelve hours, I can attest to the overwhelming feeling of fear and guilt as the safest way of obtaining medications is stripped from our hands. 

As my son is now in transplant rejection for a second time after the mail-order pharmacy shipped his life-saving medications without protection, I have to question did I do something wrong to trust the mail-order pharmacy too much to hold the life of my child in their hands. The bottle of medications is his life.

I doubt, if for a minute, the CEO's of the mail-order pharmacies, employers or our federal and state governments, who also select mail-order pharmacy only options, think for a minute about the many risks they are allowing to be placed upon human life. Knowing the risks, like many others patients and caregivers, I cried the first time that I was told that we must use mail-order pharmacy. 

I am certain that these entities don't give a second thought as parents and patients do upon the first time they are told that they will be forced to mail-order pharmacy for coverage of their life-saving medication. 

Patients and caregivers are left to worry alone about will happen when life saving medications or their children's life-saving medications are delayed, shipped to the wrong address, stolen, incorrectly administered due to lack of counseling, or  when medications degrade, lose potency or even become toxic as they are shipped mostly in bags and left in trucks and mail-boxes that reach up to 150-170 degrees in the summer heat. There is little protection from freezing that can also alter some medications.

For some, the fear becomes a reality.

Sadly, just one time. One time is all that it takes for mail-order pharmacy to risk our life or the life of our loved ones, and patients can be sent down a rapid or slow spiral of a worsening health condition that they may never recover from. My son's condition is proof. Although, we expect a full recovery. Nothing is guaranteed. If he needed another transplant, another may not be available. 

This is why your support is so critical. We appreciate every single supporter! I am feeling the empathy and compassion as I see our supporters sharing the petition and the petition growing in numbers daily. I read every comment. For those of you sharing your stories, I see the suffering and you are not alone. We will win this! We appreciate you and hope that maybe one day that our employers and federal and state governments will have the same empathy and compassion as our supporters. 

Other ways to help: Share your story of issues with mail-order pharmacy or any other issues with PBMs such as Optum RX CVS Caremark or Express Scripts by emailing loretta@uniteforsafemeds.com

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