‘My world has collapsed’: cancer nurse petitions for reimbursement of drug costs

Ana Rita Campos, a 42-year-old nurse and mother of two children aged three and six, is battling breast cancer. He is asking for help paying for a treatment that can prevent recurrence in vital organs, abemaciclib, which is not subsidized by the state and costs 3,500 euros per month. Wrote a request for a refund of the cost of the drug. And there are several initiatives that intend to help, the next one will be on July 1st in Odivelas.

“In 2022, while still breastfeeding my youngest daughter (at that time I was two years old), I felt severe pain in my chest when I hugged my son very tightly. After a series of tests, a diagnosis was made, which I was afraid of. so many: bilateral invasive breast cancer (I’ve had it in my other breast too, though without any discomfort or feeling of tightness). My world has collapsed. All I could think about was, “Why me? I am a young woman breastfeeding.” (Suddenly being denied breastfeeding by my daughter was another pain!), with healthy lifestyle habits, and I consider myself a good person who loves to help others,” Ana Rita Campos begins the story on the Go Fund Me page through which he asks for help to pay treatment.

“However, the whole process of treatment began: neoadjuvant chemotherapy, bilateral mastectomy and subsequent left-sided axillary lymphadenectomy and radiation therapy. Unfortunately, each breast had its own type of tumor (which complicates treatment and prognosis), and in the left axillary there were already six axillary lymph nodes with cancer cells with extranodal spread. Thus, with these results, it was found that in my case a very high risk, especially in the next 10 years, of having recurrence of the disease elsewhere (brain, bone and liver metastasis, therefore, is an incurable disease).

But the National Health Service still has no indication for the use of abemaciclib for relapse prevention. It is used only for palliative treatment, that is, when the disease is no longer curable. “Because this medicine is extremely expensive (about 3,500 euros per month for two years) and because it is not covered by the National Health Service or ADSE, I do not have the financial means to treat it in a private hospital. at a cost fully supported by me,” says Ana Rita. He admits that there is no medicine that gives him 100% certainty that he will not get cancer again, but he wants to stick to the medicine that gives him the greatest chance to accompany the growth of his children for a longer time.

Meanwhile, he launched a public petition calling for reimbursement of the drug Abemaciclib from the National Health System and ADSE as a form of adjuvant treatment in combination with hormone therapy to prevent recurrence of hormone receptor positive and human epidermal growth factor negative breast cancer. The signatories, who already number nearly 7,000, “also call on Infarmed to expedite the authorization process for all medicines approved by the European Medicines Agency,” given that this delay “could make a difference between life and death.”

This cause was supported by several citizens who organize solidarity initiatives. The next futsal solidarity tournament will take place on July 1 in Odivelas. It is organized by the sports association Forças de Segurança Unidas in partnership with the Odivelas firefighters. Team registration continues. The association needs support to travel to Odivelas to “help those who need help,” the statement said. cm Bruno Brini, leader of the Joint Security Forces.