I’m in Quito, Ecuador, staying at a hostel.
Walter,the guy who does a lot of the menial work in the hostel, has a son who’s epileptic. Walter’s originally from Puerto Lopez, a very poor town on the northern coast. There’s no work to be had in Puerto Lopez, so he and his wife came to Quito and brought their son with them. Their son is now in a pediatric hospital a few blocks from the hostel. Walter makes about $125/month plus room and partial board. The medication their son needs, the hospital time, etc. is eating all his pay.
Their son takes Valkote. One vial (I don’t know the volume of the vial–apparently, there’s only 1 size sold in drugstores here, and that’s the volume that Walter’s referring to) costs about US$15.00. Walter’s son needs 4 vials/month. If you’re earning about $125/month, after taxes, and you’ve got medical expenses of a minimum of US$60.00, that can be really crushing.
His son’s gonna need this stuff for about 6 months to a year, which really, really, sucks. Does anyone know of a source of either: 1. financial aid to help cover the cost of the drug, or 2. cheaper vials of valcote?
Thanks for any help you can provide.