Helping Others Every Chance She Has

Vicki lives in Edgewood, Kentucky, just outside Cincinnati, with her husband, Gaut, and granddaughter. Along with Gaut, Vicki is a lifetime academic with a master’s degree in speech pathology. Her goal in life was simple: Help others every chance she had.

“TAF has made a huge difference in my life,” Vicki said.

“I get my joy from being with other people,” Vicki said.

Though she left her career in speech pathology many years ago, Vicki was committed to her mission of helping others. For nearly 30 years, she taught public speaking at Northern Kentucky University. Now, Vicki and Gaut are retired and spend their days raising their teenage granddaughter, who Vicki says is a constant source of entertainment.

“One day she loves you and the next day she hates you,” Vicki said. “It’s a roller coaster, but we adore her.”

With their fixed income, Vicki knows the ins and outs of the monthly budget. Overseeing their finances has become critical since her 2016 diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, a nervous system disorder that impacts movement.

To help Vicki manage the tremors and other symptoms related to the disease, Vicki’s doctor prescribed a treatment that would allow her to live a full, healthy life. But when she went to her pharmacist to pick up her prescription, Vicki was shocked to see the price.

“My pharmacist said it would be $14,000 a month,” Vicki said. “I mean, who can afford that?”

Parkinson’s disease runs in Vicki’s family, so she was familiar with the difficulties other family members faced as they attempted to manage the disease.

“My father and grandmother had tremors,” Vicki said. “So, when mine worsened, my chiropractor convinced me to see a doctor.”

A patient assistant at the University of Cincinnati referred Vicki to The Assistance Fund’s (TAF’s) Parkinson’s Disease Copay Assistance Program, which provides financial assistance for out-of-pocket costs for prescribed FDA-approved treatment, such as copays, deductibles, and coinsurance.

“TAF has made a huge difference in my life,” Vicki said. “I shudder to think what my symptoms would be if I weren’t on these medications.”

Vicki finds hope every day with the help of another person living with Parkinson’s disease: the actor Michael J. Fox. She keeps a number of his motivational tapes on hand.

“He really helps me do better,” Vicki said.

Vicki says that Michael J. Fox’s words of wisdom are helping her process the news of her diagnosis. His progress and quality of life give her hope.

“I am still in the process of accepting that I have Parkinson’s,” she said. “I am deeply grateful for TAF.”