Rita and Hannah: advocacy is a family affair
Rita’s journey to afford her breast cancer treatment led her to join PAN in advocating for healthcare access for all. Her granddaughter Hannah has fought by her side.
Rita is a natural community builder and advocate. When she’s not teaching technology classes for older adults at the public library, or hosting weekly soup nights at home, you’ll often find her writing letters to local lawmakers and news outlets. “In my life, I’ve learned that to write a letter has a great effect,” she said.
Civic engagement runs in the family—and Rita’s granddaughter, Hannah, is certainly following in those footsteps. At age 20, she already has a few years’ experience working on political campaigns and volunteering with the Democratic party in their Minnesota hometown. “My grandma’s definitely inspired me to go into politics,” Hannah said.
So, when Rita decided to fight for affordable, equitable healthcare at the September 2024 PAN Advocacy Action Summit, she knew she wanted Hannah by her side.
Rita learned about the PAN Foundation in 2023 after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her treatment plan involved surgery and then medication, but she could not physically tolerate the first drug her doctor prescribed. They turned to a second option, but Rita’s out-of-pocket cost was going to be $1,700 a month—more than her income as a retiree with Social Security benefits.
Rita will never forget that moment at the pharmacy counter: “My knees just buckled. I thought, okay, well, I guess I’m just gonna get cancer again, because I don’t have the money to do this.”
Fortunately, a nurse at Rita’s cancer clinic applied for a PAN copay grant on her behalf so she could get the breast cancer medication she needed. The financial assistance became even more critical when Rita’s husband, Dennis, passed away unexpectedly in 2023. She received the PAN grant for about 18 months before switching to another, less expensive treatment.
“PAN came through for me when I needed it. I would not have been able to purchase this cancer medication without PAN,” Rita said.
Hannah has had her own health struggles, having been diagnosed with epilepsy in fourth grade. It took three months before she could see a pediatric neurologist—in Minneapolis, an eight-hour drive from where her family lived at the time. The bright spot of these monthly visits was that she’d get to stay with Grandma and Grandpa.
“Here I was, trying to go to basketball tournaments. Trying to be in speech club—and instead, I had to spend my weekends driving to the city to go to the doctor,” said Hannah, who also experiences severe migraines.
Hannah’s parents have always made sure she had what she needed. She is still covered by their health insurance plan. But as she inches toward independence, she is acutely aware that her epilepsy and migraines will always be part of the financial equation.
“I’m happy and I’m healthy. But I am on a bunch of meds, and I will need them for the rest of my life. They’re not meds I can skip,” Hannah said.
Grandmother and granddaughter channeled these personal experiences at the PAN Summit in Washington, D.C. Together, Hannah and Rita spoke with policymakers on behalf of the millions of Americans with chronic, rare, and life-threatening illnesses. Individually, their experiences were compelling. Together, they were unstoppable.
Having empathy helps people understand why we’re working towards this change.”
– Hannah
Rita, now in her 70s, drew from her lifelong perspective. She and Dennis were self-employed for many years and couldn’t always afford to go to the doctor for preventive care. “PAN made me realize that we need to fight for our rights more,” said Rita.
Hannah specifically asked lawmakers to support the Safe Step Act, a bill that would improve the exception process for step therapy. Step therapy, sometimes called a “fail-first” requirement, is a cost-control insurance practice that requires patients to first try a less expensive drug. Health plans may only cover the original prescribed drug if the lower-cost drug doesn’t work. Step therapy protocols have delayed her access to the most effective epilepsy treatment in the past.
“Just the idea that insurance makes you jump through all these hoops to get the medication you need, that really resonated with me. I thought pairing that with my story worked pretty well,” said Hannah.
Rita and Hannah’s political activism often takes place behind the scenes, so they welcomed the chance to sit face-to-face with their Minnesota representatives. “All of a sudden somebody was looking at us—and looking at us like we mattered,” Hannah said.
“I felt like we had an effect on the people that we spoke to,” Rita agreed.
Today, Rita is staying busy and Hannah is working toward her bachelor’s degree in political science. She dreams of working for a public policy-oriented nonprofit—provided the health insurance benefits will cover her specialty medications.
“Access is huge, but it’s not something many of my peers think about,” Hannah said. “It could be you, it could be your daughter, it could be your grandma. Having empathy helps people understand why we’re working towards this change.”
Together, we can change lives
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