I’m a heart transplant recipient. I’m haunted by ‘ghost approval’ for medication I need to survive

By Payton HerresMay 19, 2026

Herres is a heart transplant recipient and patient advocate focused on improving access to lifesaving transplant medications.

I’m a heart transplant recipient. The medications I take aren’t optional — they’re what keep my body from rejecting my heart.

So when my transplant team prescribed everolimus (Zortress), it wasn’t a suggestion. It was a medical decision.

On paper, I have insurance coverage. In real life, I don’t have access. That’s the gap I’ve been living in — and it’s what I call “ghost approval.”