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I wrote this on my instagram, but I’ll put it here too
From the desk of William P. Ryan:
As a person with a terminal illness and multiple family members in the medical field, no one has more respect for people in said field than myself. It’s something I admittedly could never do.
With that being said, I am tired of the onslaught of “shenanigans” (I’m being nice) that I have gone through these last few months and that people like myself have always gone through. The thing that’s incredibly frustrating is that, these factors of my frustration are systemic. They’re ableist and classist. They border on eugenics.
From my own personal experience, I’m already tired of insulin costing an arm and a leg. I’m tired of doctors “forgetting” to put in prescriptions or preauthorizations into pharmacies because I don’t kiss the ground they walk on enough. I shouldn’t have to pester you multiple times a day, when I’m working, for insulin. People with terminal illnesses already have anxiety working, knowing companies will attempt to look for any loophole to let that person go. Most people with terminal illnesses are already paid low to poverty wages and will have to shell out most of their money towards life saving medicine just to live, because pharmaceutical companies like to price gouge. I’m very lucky that I have a great job and great insurance, but still have to pay an outrageous price for insulin. I’m tired of doctors pushing out products, because they’ll receive a kickback. You’re not fooling anyone. You’re not the tinder swindler. You have the charm of paint chips.
Something that hasn’t left my mind is when the CDC Director said that they were “encouraged” that more than 75% of vaccinated patients who died from Covid-19 had four or more pre-existing conditions. It’s disgusting, worrisome, but not surprising that someone in her position said that. I expect their tone deafness. Which is my point. All of this is systemic. Insurances and pharmacies put pressure on hospitals, hospitals overwork nurses and other staff members. Doctors are caught in between being overworked and trying to make extra money by pushing a product with whatever snake oil salesman company grabs their collar. So much so that they forget about their own work. So much so that their egos, once again, let them believe that they are anointed by a deity that they are a miracle worker and if you don’t address them as such, you are a peasant.
I’ve been through this ringer for 29 years as a CF patient and I’ve voiced a lot of these frustrations privately amongst family and friends, but I’ve reached this point where I want to express my feelings and frustrations publicly. I encourage others to do the same and maybe we can change the narrative that the most vulnerable in our society have to fight against the dollar in order to live.
You can follow me on insta @william.ryan03
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