ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — In early June, Johns Hopkins University reported that prescription drug shortages are at an all-time high, leaving doctors and patients across America without the critical drugs needed to extend and even save lives.

Some of the biggest shortages are with chemotherapy medications, which means cancer patients across Central Florida may not get needed cancer treatments.

James Brown of Altamonte Springs knows what it’s like to hear that a life-saving drug is not available for him.

The avid Pickleball player was diagnosed in February with both prostate cancer and small-cell carcinoma.

“The scary part about small-cell carcinoma is that it travels quickly throughout the body,” said Brown.

He takes seven medications a day to battle his cancer.

But he also needs a very common type of chemotherapy treatment that his doctors say is unavailable anywhere, leaving it up to James and his wife, Kate, to try and find the drug on his own.

“It’s just shocking in today’s time, in the U.S.A., that this medicine is not available for us,” said Kate.

Brown has worked in medical sales for 40 years and knows how to navigate the industry. 

He’s reached out to clients, doctors and suppliers for help in locating his life saving medication, but still no luck.

“Because I have a little knowledge on how to fight this, but most people probably don’t. And the doctor says it’s on back order, they accept it, go home and pray,” said Brown.

Brown is confident he will find the chemotherapy medication somewhere. 

Brown said that he may have located some of the much-needed chemotherapy treatment medicine after speaking with him earlier this week.

He recommends to anyone that needs a medication that is on back order to try and search for the medication on the Internet themselves.