I am Lynn Crisci, a former professional musician, actress, radio host, and Boston Marathon bombing survivor living in Boston, Massachusetts.
After a stage accident in 2006 where I sustained a brain injury, I was left disabled and wheelchair bound due to severe neck/head injuries, in addition to suffering from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and fibromyalgia. Overtime, I learned to do many things all over again, including walking over a 5-6 year timespan. Then in 2012, I found a new passion to pursue and began acting in short films – but this was short lived.
On April 5th, 2013, my boyfriend and I were among one of several hundred Boston Marathon spectators and one of many bombing survivors. We were both fortunate to escape the bombing with no horrendous or visible bodily injuries, but I did walk away with permanent neck and lower back injuries, a frontal lobe brain injury, hearing loss, extreme tinnitus, and severe PTSD. Luckily, a year after surviving such a terrible and traumatizing event, originally meant to support runners from all around the world, I finished and ran my first Boston Marathon in 2014 despite struggling with daily severe chronic pain and panic attacks.
While I overcame these unwarranted battlescars of such traumatizing events, I simultaneously have been a patient living with Lyme Disease. As an understatement, my life has not been easy. I have experienced several other health conditions and have even undergone a colectomy procedure which took me 9 months to get after enduring a blocked colon. After this procedure, I was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and was put on a very restrictive diet. I relied on the very expensive drug called Motegrity to help with digestive mobility and functioning, which I unfortunately could not afford. At $505.40 per bottle and living on a very meager SSDI check which covers my utilities, rent, and phone, affording Motegrity was simply not feasible. I am now on the drug Creon, along with others which cost almost $50,000 a year all together and covered by Medicare but do not alleviate my symptoms enough. Leaving me to take 2-4 doses of magnesium daily to prevent bowel blockage. I now live in constant fear of having to pay for medications myself if any changes in coverage or finances occur.
As if the difficulties to access affordable healthcare was not enough, my own patient experience with my conditions, symptoms, and struggles have negatively affected other factors of my life besides my health and finances. My health put a strain on a loving relationship I had with my partner, where both of us are now separated and living in different states. I have also expressed and believe how my internal medical issues not visible to the eye have strained my existing relationships with some of my medical providers and family members, which has made me feel like a lone soldier for quite some time.
When asked about my support for lower prescription drug prices, I strongly believe that affordable health care should not be a privilege but a right. The amount of bureaucratic and financial barriers in place is insane and disgusting for anyone seeking life-saving care and preventative treatment. No one should have to forgo or wait out their health conditions because of pricing and the lack of accessibility and availability. As someone who has had several fundraising pages set up to help me pay for my treatment and prescription drugs, I speak from experience that prices should not be as high as they have been. Everyone is one step away from an accident or illness, and people are simply fooling themselves if they believe this can’t happen to them. Lastly, I fear that allowing pharmaceutical companies to decide your health care treatment and not your doctors, is a very dangerous path to be on. With no change to drug prices, we are simply navigating a slippery dangerous slope for many.
