UPDATE 10/24/23

Unbelievably, it has been 9 months since I started treatment with OFEV. This coming November, I will have a full clinical evaluation to determine the effectiveness of the medication in halting the disease progression and to hopefully recommend continuing treatment in 2024. I am so very thankful for your contributions to this fundraiser. Your ongoing support means so much to me.

Please continue to share my story. Thank you!

My name is Frederic Allen, aka Chris. After a career as a classically trained singer, I found a new calling as a registered nurse. For 25 years I have cared for and helped patients and families in the hospital, at home and in hospice. I am now retired, and I have a rare, fatal lung disease called Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF).

Now I am the one who needs financial help to pay for treatment.

Three years ago, my breathing felt different. Playing tennis and bicycling became difficult, my breathing felt tight and restricted. A pulmonologist told me that I "probably" had IPF, that it progresses slowly and to call them if it gets worse. Well, it did get worse!

After moving to Connecticut in 2021, my symptoms worsened. I eventually found a pulmonologist who ordered comprehensive testing that confirmed IPF and revealed that severe lung damage had occurred.

Facts about IPF:

SEE: www.nhlbi.nih.gov

A lung scan showed that I still have healthy lung tissue, which made me a suitable candidate for a specialty medication OFEV (Nintedanib) that could decelerate the advance of this uncurable disease as long as the medication is taken continuously.

My Medicare D insurance plan agreed to cover the extreme cost of OFEV for one year, requiring an out-of-pocket copay at $1750.00 a month, which was much more than I could afford. Fortunately, my healthcare provide secured a grant to cover my copayments for 5 months. I started OFEV in late December 2022. When the grant runs out the end of May 2023, I do not know if additional financial assistance will be available. Financial aid is challenging to obtain in the current environment.

In receiving OFEV, I am monitored closely to evaluate effectiveness and am part of a dedicated support program. OFEV has been tested in major clinical trials and is approved as a primary, effective treatment for IPF. Continuous treatment with OFEV is required to slow the disease progression. The benefit in taking OFEV has given me hope that I can take care of myself, maintain quality of life and involvement with my community, and not die prematurely.

I am seeking to raise $22,000.00 (cost for one year of OFEV), so I can pay for the medication if insurance and financial assistance will not cover the cost.

I am so grateful that you have read my story and will consider making a donatation. Thank you.