Cole Schmidtknecht, 22, who had battled chronic asthma since childhood, was denied his life-saving inhaler when he went to collect his prescription at a Walgreens pharmacy in Appleton, Wisconsin on January 10, 2024.
The pharmacist had informed him that his medication would now cost $539.19 - a shocking increase from his usual cost of $66.86.
Walgreens had suddenly refused to cover his usual prescription under insurance after OptumRX changed its policy in the fall of 2023.
Unable to afford the astronomical price, Cole left the store without his inhaler.
For five agonizing days, Cole struggled to breathe, using only an emergency inhaler.
His desperate fight ended in tragedy on January 15, 2024, when he suffered a fatal asthma attack.