With the NHS deal on Kaftrio, I’m likely to live longer. This is why swift access to novel treatments is so important
It’s been 15 weeks since I went into isolation to shield from Covid-19 – having cystic fibrosis (CF) put me in the high-risk category. I had expected this year to be a write-off but, after a devastating four months, 2020 may finally be looking up.
While the easing of coronavirus lockdown measures has provided relief for many, there has been more specific, and life-changing, recent news for CF patients: soon we will be able to get our hands on the drug Kaftrio under the NHS. Now for the first time in my life, I can plan a future I never expected to have. Regular hospital admissions and hours of unbearable pain may no longer be my reality, and growing old is something I may actually get to experience.
I always thought I would have to suffer from disease for the rest of my life, feeling it take over and destroy my body
Isabelle Jani-Friend is a journalist
