Asylum-seeking mother needs essential medicine

Sarita is the mother of four and suffers from several life-limiting medical conditions. She requires multiple medications for diabetes, lupus, thyroid and more. When she can't get those medications, she is debilitated and unable to work full-time, or frequently, at all.

Sarita's medical provider tells her that her current medications no longer control her conditions, even though she follows all self-care guidelines faithfully. They want her to take Ozempic, which has shown good results for her conditions. However, this medication is currently in high demand nationally, especially for weight loss. The lowest price we have found, with a discount through her provider, is $800 for one month's prescription.

Sarita frequently forgoes her own medications to support her family's financial needs. She is caught in a difficult cycle: her health conditions keep her from working full time; at the same time, her part-time income means she can't afford the medications that would allow her be able to work full-time. As a part-time worker, she also has no work benefits, such as medical leave or insurance, to help her cope with these needs.

I have known Sarita and her family for almost 2 years, and know them as kind, conscientious people, dedicated to providing for their family and working hard. They are asylum-seekers who escaped persecution in their home country. They work hard at multiple jobs, in a rural area in Georgia with few job options and few social services. Their income is quickly used up for the basics: rent, food, clothes, and medical care for the children. Occasionally, they must also scrape together payments for attorney fees to keep their asylum applications moving forward.

We're organizing this fundraiser to help Sarita meet at least one month's prescription of Ozempic. Our hope is that once on this new medication, she'll recover her ability to work full-time, and be able to afford future months' prescriptions.

Any and all amounts donated will help her get on her feet - literally and figuratively. All funds raised will be paid directly to the medication provider. Thank you so much!