You never know how it might feel to have life change in a split second, until it does. In 2010 I was pushed into a pool at my bachelorette party. It forced me forward and I hit the bottom. The way I landed ended up breaking my neck at the c6 level and I instantly lost feeling and movement. At the hospital, I was told I had a spinal cord injury and I’d never walk again.
I had to relearn everything after losing not only my body from the chest down, but also my hands and triceps. I was now a quadriplegic and everything was different. I had a new body and with that, new symptoms that required medicine. I had severe nerve pain, spasms, low blood pressure and bladder issues. I know had a lot of medication I needed and I didn’t even know how to swallow a pill. As difficult as it was, I knew I needed these medicines and I knew I needed them at the correct time for me to stay alive and healthy.
I remember waking up one morning and realizing I hadn’t been given my medication yet. We were going on a trip out of the hospital that day for an activity and I was very excited. One of the nurses sat me up to get me dressed and I immediately passed out. My blood pressure had plummeted so low without the medication that I completely lost consciousness. My body felt like it was on fire from the nerve pain and I just did not feel good at all. I knew then how important it was to take the medication I needed at the right time.
Walgreens has launched their campaign Wake Up Call. The goal is to help patients understand the importance of taking their medication at the correct time and giving them the tools to stick to their prescribed regimen. I’ve joined forces with them to explain from my experience, why this campaign is so important.
“There are several factors that cause patients to not take their medication,” said Adam Holyk, SVP and chief marketing officer at Walgreens. “Some of the most important ones when we think about patients with chronic disease are forgetfulness, convenience, and not properly understanding how their medication should be taken.”
Nearly 100 million Americans do not follow their prescription requirements correctly and 33% of prescriptions are never even filled. But, I know first hand how important it is to take your medications as prescribed. There are times when I’m a few hours late on my pain and spasm medication, and my body feels it. The tightness and pain is almost unbearable. I’m thankful to have found medications that help me live my life to the fullest.
Im a mother, wife, athlete and adventure seeker. I’ve done adapted surfing, wheelchair rugby, skydiving, water skiing and handcycling. These activities wouldn’t be possible without my medications! My daughter kaylee deserves to have her mommy as healthy and active as possible. She’s getting older and I want to be involved in every activity and milestone that comes along.
The main reason people forget their medication is forgetfulness and convenience and this app aims to eliminate those issues! The Walgreens app has a lot of awesome features that have really helped me out. You can
-Set medication reminders
-Set up autofill for your prescriptions
-With Save a Trip Refill you can get prescription delivery.
-Skip the line with Walgreens Express
My spinal cord injury is a chronic condition and I will likely rely on medication for the rest of my life. What matters is the medicine I take, let’s me live the life I want to live…And I definitely have a lot to live for
download the Walgreen App today!
sponsored by Walgreens!
