Imagine the worry of being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a condition which affects the central nervous system. Now imagine being told that a suggested disease-modifying drug costs S$5,000 a pill. That's what happened to a lady in Singapore.
41-year-old Shannon Heo was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a disease she has been battling with since 2010.
(Photo credit)
According to WebMD, MS is a long-lasting disease that can affect the brain, spinal cord, and the optic nerves in the eyes. It can cause problems with vision, balance, muscle control, and other basic body functions.
The effects are often different for everyone who has the disease. Some people have mild symptoms and don’t need treatment. Others will have trouble getting around and doing daily tasks.
Symptoms include: Trouble walking, Feeling tired, Muscle weakness or spasms, Blurred or double vision, and Numbness and tingling.
$5,000 a pill
In an interview on Mothership, a Singapore internet media company, Ms Heo, a veterinarian by profession, shared that when she was diagnosed with MS, the treatment options offered include:
- Costs: $2,000 a month - a set of self-injectable medications that patients would have to give themselves a few times a day.
- Costs: $5-$6,000 a month – daily oral drug
Despite knowing the gravity of the condition, she didn’t go on medication, with the routine and costs cited as reasons in the interview, which also noted that the medical costs for MS are generally expensive as they are not subsidised drugs.
She went without medication for nine years before suffering a relapse in January 2019, which resulted in paralysis in half her body.
“That relapse was also when the doctor strongly encouraged her to get treated and suggested Mavanclad, a disease-modifying drug.” An option she is still considering.
- Costs: $100,000 – 20 pills over the course of two years for the entire treatment. Each pill costs $5,000.
“Your life is more important than money”
While she is mulling over the treatment option, her husband has been encouraging her to take on any treatment, regardless of the cost. He was quoted as saying, “Whatever it takes, just go for it. Your life is more important than money.” Shannon is married with three kids aged between two and 11 years old.
This amazing lady has continued to live as she usually would and not base her decisions on her condition. “MS is not a death sentence.”
In fact, she uses opportunities to raise awareness, and correct and educate people on the illness when she hears unwarranted comments and ignorant recommendations. She is also part of Run for MS, a group of runners with the aim to educate people about MS and also to raise funds for the MS Assistance Fund.
You can read the full interview with the strong-willed lady here.
Role of insurance?
This interview caught our attention because of the awesome strength of this lady in overcoming and facing adversity and for her open sharing to raise awareness of the condition.
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We also believe that this sharing reiterates and highlights the importance of being financially prepared and protected should illnesses strike. The treatments costs for the different options were staggering, to say the least.
You may be interested to know that according to the Life Insurance Association Singapore (LIA)’s standard Definitions for 37 severe-stage Critical Illnesses (Version 2014), Multiple Sclerosis is defined as such:
Multiple Sclerosis
The definite occurrence of Multiple Sclerosis. The diagnosis must be supported by all of the following:
- Investigations which unequivocally confirm the diagnosis to be Multiple Sclerosis;
- Multiple neurological deficits which occurred over a continuous period of at least 6 months; and
- Well documented history of exacerbations and remissions of said symptoms or neurological deficits.
Other causes of neurological damage such as SLE and HIV are excluded.
While we do not know the specifics of Shannon’s case, and whether and how insurance is helping in her treatment and recovery, this is another reason for professional agents and advisers, to be out there, protecting lives and helping families be financially secured.
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