Please Help Auden Get the Chemotherapy He Needs

Hey friends, as many of you already know, our dear friend Auden Schraeder was diagnosed with a particularly aggressive form of brain cancer in July 2020. Since then, he’s been through brain surgery as well as multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, and he is feeling good now and up for the fight, however, the cancer continues to come back. The first and second line chemotherapy drugs failed to suppress the tumors, so his oncology team at UCSF has prescribed a new chemotherapy drug called Verzenio, because it is known to target a specific gene identified in his cancer’s genomic sequencing. They were eager to start the new drug in hopes that this one would work, however the INSURANCE COMPANY HAS DECLINED TO PAY FOR IT! After three appeals, and three rejections, they turned to Eli Lilly’s financial assistance program, which offers the medication free of charge for some applicants. Unfortunately, they just received notice that they were not accepted into this program either… which leaves them with few options.

 

Part of the urgency here is that this type of tumor doubles in size every 2-3 weeks, and recently he has been starting to get headaches again, so we can no longer wait for the insurance and drug companies to do the right thing. This new drug, Verzenio, costs about $15,000 per month and after exhausting all options through Eli Lilly and his Blueshield Insurance, a small group of friends and family all pitched in to get him started on the potentially life extending drug, at an out of pocket cost of $3,440 per week. We have purchased 3 weeks worth but cannot sustain this much longer, which is where you come in.

 

We are setting up this campaign in hopes of helping Auden get the chemotherapy he needs to continue the fight against this particularly aggressive form of brain cancer. Being that insurance and pharmaceutical companies have refused to pay, or even help, he’s on the hook for the full $3,440 per week, out of pocket, on top of all of his other expenses.

 

We understand that many folks may be struggling with their own finances and we don’t take asking for assistance lightly, but anything you could spare to help us get Auden the medication he needs will be very much appreciated.

 

Other ways you can help:

Please spread the word by sharing this campaign with your personal contacts via social media channels and any other ways you can think of to aid us in publicizing this campaign to support Auden.

 

As a symbol of solidarity and support of Auden’s battle, any donors who contribute $500 or more to this campaign will receive an “Audacious” doo-rag upon request.

 

Thank you all in advance for your love and generosity. Please take care and be well.