Help HOPE Live for Lindsey Runkel

October 2024 marked the ten-year anniversary of my accident. As I reflected on those years, I felt accomplished in what I have been able to achieve. But it also reminded me of my daily struggles to remain optimistic, healthy and hopeful, especially as I face continuous medical expenses and health battles. There is so much more to paralysis than the loss of your ability to walk and feel. And the medical challenges and expenses are ongoing.

Although I have health insurance through my employer, it fails to cover many of my necessary medical expenses. The health insurance industry does not provide coverage for the continuous health issues paraplegics face. Among the ongoing costs are my daily medications, some of which do not have generic alternatives resulting in excessive monthly co-pays. I was recently diagnosed with a serious autoimmune disease and the prescribed treatment is high-cost biologics. Even with insurance coverage, the co-pay for these medications is prohibitively expensive. Additionally, there is a significant gap between what’s covered for crucial medical equipment, such as urinary catheters, and what it actually costs, leaving me with extremely high out-of-pocket costs. These are just a few examples.