Meet Laura Bray | Chief Change Maker at Angels for Change

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Bray and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My daughter Abby was just nine when Leukemia interrupted our life. Abby bulldozed through each obstacle, determined to find her way back to normal. Carrying your child through cancer treatments is unimaginable. But, the day Abby had an anaphylactic reaction to a critical drug in per protocol, pegaspargase (PEG), our fight felt impossible.

After anaphylaxis, Abby could not take PEG again. We were told not to worry, though, because there was another drug that could serve the same purpose in her treatment protocol. That’s when I learned the terrible news: the drug my daughter needed, the one that would keep her on her protocol timeline, was unavailable to her because it was in shortage and had been for months. This led me to realize a devastating truth: there are life-saving drug shortages right here in the United States, hundreds of them in fact, and any child might face a situation where they do not have access to the very drugs that could increase their chances of surviving.

I would not rest until my daughter had her life-saving treatment, despite her doctors telling me it would be a waste of energy to try. Backed by hundreds of Angels, after thousands of calls to hospitals, pharmacies, lawmakers, pharmaceutical companies, and many miracles along the way, we found her needed drug in 10 days.

Yet even after securing this drug, I knew this fight was not over for me. I knew that I must be the change I need to see in the world. Angels for Change will help solve the drug shortage crisis in our country. Life-saving treatments exist and patients must have equal access to the drugs that can save their lives.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Angels for Change is a volunteer supported nonprofit organization on a mission to end drug shortages through advocacy, awareness and a resilient supply chain.

We are passionate about building support and awareness to create solutions that will provide equal drug access to patients in need.

Our focus is to advocate on behalf of any patient in a life-saving drug shortage, while building relationships with patients and members of the pharmaceutical supply chain ending all healthcare crises created by drug shortages.

With the help of our supporters, our grant-making pilot which launched this year, has already helped provide over 150,000 life-saving treatments in just ninety-days. We hope to continue to fund this kind of work, expanding Project PROTECT, funding more shortage grants to eliminate the top ten essential medicine shortages.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Something not a lot of people know about Miami is their foodie scene which is full of diversity and culture- going out to eat anywhere in Miami will not disappoint!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to support Angels for Change. Whether that was by generous donations, sponsorships, partnerships or even just sharing Angels for Change on social media. Ending drug shortages would not be possible with the help of our supporters, and no small act of support goes unnoticed.

Website: www.angelsforchange.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelsforchange/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/angelsforchange/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/angelsforchange

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngelsForChange