Source: Star Tribune via Getty Images / Getty
The supervisor of a dog kennel, Josh Wilkerson, was pronounced dead after he used cheaper insulin in an effort to save money for his upcoming wedding.
According to the New York Post Wilkerson, who lived in Virginia, used over the counter insulin that was recommended to him by his doctor, Wilkerson aged out of his stepfather’s health insurance and was looking to save some money on insulin, which can be very expensive. The drug was just $25 per vial from Walmart.
The insulin Wilkerson was using was called ReliOn, it’s known as human insulin, and is notorious for taking a much longer time than analog insulin, which is the typical insulin used by diabetics.
Wilkerson’s fiancée, whose name is not revealed, is also diabetic. She used the same insulin that he did, but she was not affected nearly as devastatingly as he was.
Wilkerson was found unconscious at his place of employment with a blood sugar level 17 times higher than is was supposed to be, he died five days later at the age of 27.
“This should never have happened!!” wrote his mother on her son’s fundraiser page. “Nobody should have to choose between paying bills & saving your life!!”
The death of Wilkerson chronicles some of the problems with health care in America. Often times people have to make executive decisions on rather to pay for the medical procedures, attention, or medicines they desperately need, or by passing to take care of family, and other life issues.
With analog insulin prices nearly tripling since 2012 according to the Independent reports, doctors have begun recommending the cheaper version as an alternative.
Virginia Man Dies After Switching to Cheaper Insulin to Save Money for Upcoming Wedding was originally published on cassiuslife.com
