Three-year-old child's medicine was unavailable at a pharmacy in Finland, leaving the family to find help about 70 kilometres away. The medicine shortage has also pushed other patients to search beyond their usual local pharmacies for medicines. Some have had to pay more than they normally would for their treatment. Three people describe how the disruption has affected their daily routines and access to essential medicine. Their accounts suggest that the problem reaches beyond a single pharmacy or locality. The medicine and the affected family were not identified. The cause of the shortage has not been established, and it is unclear whether one part of the supply chain is responsible.