07/23/2026
This is what broken healthcare looks like.
Just as Avery finished radiation last week, today he began another cycle of chemotherapy.
That’s the reality of terminal cancer—there isn’t an ending, only the hope that the next treatment buys more time.
We’re praying his body can tolerate this cycle. The last one brought significant complications, and today we’re asking God to carry him through one more month.
As I held one of his medications in my hand, I couldn’t stop thinking about what it represents.
Pfizer’s Ibrance (palbociclib): $16,500 for a one-month supply.
That’s 21 pills.
Today also brought another reminder. A friend of ours was recently diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer and will soon begin taking this same medication.
While families are trying to survive cancer, they’re also expected to survive the cost of it.
They’re already carrying enough: the nausea, the endless clinic appointments, the scans, the complications, the hospital admissions, the blood transfusions, the sleepless nights, and the fear that every phone call could change everything.
And yet Pfizer charges $16,500 for 21 pills in the United States, while the very same medication is available in many other countries for 4–5 times less.
I look at this little pill, then I look at my son sleeping in a hospital bed.
I don’t see a $16,500 medication.
I see another month a child gets to fight.
No family should have to wonder if they can afford another month with the person they love.
This is what broken healthcare looks like.