A Regina man with a fatal medical condition says a new drug could help him live longer, but it comes at a cost.
Cole Pringle is 31-years-old. He was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy when he was 18-months old, and the doctor told his parents he wouldn’t live to be a teenager, but Pringle proved everyone wrong.
“I moved here to go to university. I finished my degree at the U of R, and I currently work here in downtown Regina,” Pringle told CTV News.
But as he gets older, his health is deteriorating.
“I am 31 now, and realistically I only have couple of years left in me.”
A new drug could be a lifeline for Pringle. Last year, an American medication known as Spinraza was approved for use by Health Canada for use. The drug treats people with spinal muscular atrophy, reversing the painful effects of the disease and allowing patients to live a normal life, but each injection costs $60,000.
Pringle has contacted his MP and the provincial health minister about funding but was not given a definitive answer. During question period four months ago the federal health minister was asked about funding for Spinraza and she said it was up to the provinces and territories to decide.
In a statement, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health told CTV News Spinraza is not currently funded in any province, but in Saskatchewan, negotiations involving the drug are underway.
But for Pringle, that decision might not come soon enough.
“We need action on it right away because the truth is that the clock is ticking for a lot of us.”
As he waits, Pringle has created a GoFundMe page with the hopes of raising the money himself.
“I can’t believe the generosity of people. People I don’t even know, just through shares on Facebook who want to give me 50 or 100 dollars or anything they can to help me get what I need.”
Pringle says he will continue to fight hard, to live a life he's always dreamed of.
