Then, I was ushered into the shareholder meeting by several Lilly staff members, led by their USA Diabetes director, company vice president Mike Mason. The meeting was very scripted and formal and there were probably less than 100 people there. The media and most of the supporters who joined me were not allowed in. There was a time in the meeting set aside for Q and A—but no one was allowed to stand up and ask questions directly to the company CEO, Dave Ricks. So I submitted three questions in writing.

My three questions were:

• Does Eli Lilly consider insulin access to be a human right?
• What is Eli Lilly doing about insulin affordability?
• Why has the price of insulin gone up so much in the last 20 years when the formula has stayed the same?

My questions were read to CEO Ricks. He really did not answer them, especially the justification for the huge price increases. He referenced the company’s patient assistance programs but admitted, “There is more we can do.” And he said, “We realize there is frustration with this. We are frustrated.” He claimed that most patients have access to insulin at a cost to them of under $50 a month. “But there are exceptions,” he said.

Is that what Alec was to them? One of the exceptions?

The shareholder meeting lasted less than an hour. Immediately afterward, I was brought to a room for a face-to-face meeting with Mike Mason and two other Lilly staff members. They were very polite and expressed sympathy for me and my family and sadness about what happened to Alec. I appreciated that, but I was not there to receive kind words.

I read my statement to them (you can see the full copy here). I cried a few times, of course, especially at the end. But I was determined to get through it. And I did not hold anything back. One of the things I said was this: “On Alec’s death certificate, the official cause of death is listed as DKA—Diabetic Ketoacidosis. But the unofficial cause of death is slipping through the cracks of our broken health care system—and corporate greed.” 

When I said that, I made sure to look Mr. Mason in the eye when I said the words, “Corporate greed.”

Here is what I said to them about the hypocrisy I saw on their website:

Your Mission: You report that your mission is ‘to make medicines that help people live longer, healthier, more active lives’. My son’s life was cut short because your insulin cost too much. Your insulin pricing cost him his life!!

Your Values: Your values are ‘integrity, excellence and respect for people’. Your greed for profits currently outweighs your respect for human life. When will you start living up to your values?

Your Promise: Your promise is to ‘unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world’. How are you making life better if people are dying because they cannot afford the cost of your decades-old insulin products?