Patient stories

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Our patient stories

As representatives of patients and advocates, we are deeply committed to ensuring equitable access to essential oncology medications for all patients burdened by the challenges of cancer, especially for those living in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) who face significant barriers to adequate healthcare.

While advancements in oncology treatments have significantly improved patient outcomes, access barriers continue to prevent many individuals from receiving timely and affordable access to these life-saving medications. Patients deserve better.

We share our stories here and we are grateful for your support of our Patient Advocate Statement on Improved Access to Oncology Medicines.

Share your Access to Medicine story too with us and join the movement. Write to EveryPatientCounts@Inspire2Live.org and raise your voice with us.

I live in the Netherlands and, luckily for me, I was able to get new medication as part of a clinical trial. This was more a coincidence than it was […]

Alejandra Mendez

Mothers are all the same. We will always do whatever is needed to protect our kids, to prevent them from falling, having an accident, or getting sick.  If the question […]

I was misdiagnosed because they thought I was too young to have cancer. After six years, at the age of 52, I had become so anaemic that I was sent […]

Franklin Mtei

In my decade-long journey as a patient advocate in Tanzania, I’ve witnessed the stark care divide between those fortunate enough to afford cancer treatment and those grappling with the harsh […]

I was diagnosed with a follicular lymphoma on January 7, 2005 thanks to a check-up for my cholesterol which, after a confirmative diagnosis, showed that I had cancer. It was […]

Ingemar

Extract from chapter 18 of ‘Cancer in the margins’ My wife Ingemar is being treated palliatively for BRCA2 – metastatic breast cancer (triple negative) – after a four-year process and […]

Eltjo Heddema

This is about my wife Esther who was diagnosed with Carcinoma of Unknown Primary (CUP) and whose treatments were not successful.  The biggest challenge was getting diagnosed. Esther visited our […]

Arthur Ajwang

Story 1  “Doc, I have stage III oesophageal cancer, and I have sold everything that I had including the parcels of land and my house here in the city, in […]

Daniel Gomez

Around the time of my 60th birthday, I faced an unexpected testicular cancer diagnosis, typically seen in much younger individuals. Surgery and chemotherapy followed, fully covered by my job’s health […]

Iara Mantiñan Búa

My name is Iara Mantiñan Búa and before I had cancer, I was a freelance journalist in conflict zones. Journalism and writing were not just my job, but my way […]

Hripsime Martirosyan

Facing the myth of the WHO essential medicines’ accessibility in Armenia Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the upper-middle income country of Armenia, where around 80% of […]