Living with Cystic Fibrosis and depending on Trikafta in Mexico is a path full of pain and sacrifice

My name is Mathias Barroeta Morán, I am 15 years old, I live in Mexico, and I was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at 8 months old.

My life with this disease has been very difficult. In my country, we don't have the necessary treatments: basic medications like salbutamol, Pulmozyme, vitamins, and CREON are often out of stock, and modulators like Trikafta simply don't exist in the healthcare system.

Two years ago, I was fortunate enough to start Trikafta, but it wasn't thanks to a doctor or an institution, but to my mother's brave decision. I was already dying; the doctors had practically sent me to palliative care because after more than three years of constant infections and hospitalizations, there was nothing else to do. Trikafta was my last hope and became my salvation.

Thanks to this medication, my life changed: I stopped depending on oxygen, I was able to gain weight, run, laugh, make friends, and even return to school. For the first time, I stopped surviving… and started living.

But living with Cystic Fibrosis and depending on Trikafta in Mexico is a path full of pain and sacrifice. The cost is so high that my mother has had to go into enormous debt. We have given up vacations and family outings, and often our refrigerator only has vegetables or the pantry is empty. My mother has become ill from stress, now battling anxiety, depression, and thyroid problems due to the enormous pressure of finding the resources to pay for this treatment.

Today I speak directly to Vertex: I beg you to hear my voice, to listen to my need. I deserve to continue experiencing this miracle. I've had the opportunity to experience a quality life, but I know that every day that passes without guaranteed access to Trikafta is a risk of losing everything I've achieved.

I ask myself: Is my life worth less because I was born in Mexico and not in a first-world country? I am a responsible young man, with dreams, with a desire to contribute, to live, and to move forward. My mother also deserves to rest, to smile and feel alive, not to carry this anguish every day.

All of us with Cystic Fibrosis deserve the opportunity to experience this miracle, not just a few, not just those who can pay.