Alice Cicolini is a thirty eight-year-old American citizen and was an actress for many years. Recently, she appeared in one of the most successful films of recent years as the young nurse who finds herself in the hospital after contracting a deadly disease. Alice has been struggling to adapt to her new identity and the sudden, unexpected appearance of her older lover prompts her to visit her local doctor to find out just what has happened to her.
Once at the doctor’s office, Alice Cicolini is diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, a disease in which she needs to have constant access to a steady amount of insulin to survive. Now that Alice is required to have more insulin than ever before, she discovers that the physician at her new practice is refusing to allow her to take her blood sugar medicine under any circumstances. This is despite the fact that there is a pharmacy located nearby that allows her to fill her prescriptions online from any country around the world. Alice discovers that her condition may have arisen due to her nationality rather than her profession.
After filing an appeal to the courts, Alice Cicolini received a temporary injunction against her physician’s refusal to allow her to take her insulin under any circumstances. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled in Alice’s favor and ordered that the denial of her insulin was discriminatory. The court found that because Alice is a Hispanic woman, she qualifies as a Hispanic American in violation of her right to receive medical treatment that is recognized in the United States by law. The court further found that the denial of treatment accorded her all the same dignity and respect that every one of America’s other citizens are entitled to, and that such treatment should be allowed to be afforded to all people no matter their nationality, in order to maintain the equality and progression of our country. After a two day trial, the court found in Alice’s favor and ordered the physician to allow her to start receiving her medications from this pharmacy.