Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
Three years ago life seemed to slipping away from 5-year-old Charlotte Figi. Everyday her life was ruled by seizures -- dozens of them. And one eventually ended her life.
"She had been through periods in her life where she wasn't going to make it," Charlotte's mother, Paige Figi, said. "So I had said goodbye to her in my heart many, many times."
Doctors had tried without success to control Charlotte's seizures, and the family was running out of options.
"It was absolutely, devastatingly impossible, but as a mother, if you have children you understand this, you would do anything for your kids even if it sounds ludicrous, even if it sounds controversial," Figi said.
What she decided to try was indeed controversial. CBD oil, a bi-product of Hemp was suggested as, if nothing else, an end-of-life treatment to ease Charlotte's pain. It would mean giving a bi-product of cannabis to a child.
"I was terrified to go to the hospital. I didn't want the doctors to remove her from my care. So it was a big fear," Figi said.
What she very quickly found was the CBD oil was not an end-of-life treatment, it was giving Charlotte a second chance at life.
"It is a 180-degree difference from what we went through before. Her seizures are 99.9 percent controlled," Figi said. "She has one, two or three seizures per month, from 1,200."
To help other families with children dealing with seizure disorders, Figi helped to create the Realm of Caring. The nonprofit organization provides counseling and resources for families.
In the last three years at least 400 families from around the country have moved from their home state, where CBD oil is either not legal or not available, and relocated to Colorado Springs.
Nine months ago Meagan and Kenneth Patrick left their home in Acton, Maine, to bring their 2-year-old daughter, Addelyn, to Colorado Springs.
"Many times we were very scared for her life," Kenneth Patrick said. "Any chance at all to save your kids or do anything you need to do for your kids, you do it."
Before beginning CBD oil treatments, Addelyn was unresponsive and spent much of everyday asleep.
"It is hard to describe. She was just like a little sack of potatoes. She really could just lay there. She was not laughing or smiling. She was sleeping upwards of 22 hours a day," Meagan Patrick said. "Within the first couple of doses, Addelyn started smiling again. And again this is my near lifeless child laying there for months and months."
Heather Jackson, the executive director for Realm of Caring, said third-party doctors have observed a 73.5 percent reduction in seizures for children treated with CBD oil.
"This doesn't work for everyone, but it does work for the majority," said Jackson.
CBD oil is legal in Colorado, as is medical and recreational marijuana.
In 2014 the Wisconsin State Legislature passed a bill making CBD oil legal, but requires approval of CBD by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration before it can be dispensed. That is something that has not happened.
"So it probably has promise for young people. It is just that larger-scale research has not been done yet," said Dr. Patrick Fehling, of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, he is also a graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine.
Further research into CBD oil is something Figi wants to see happen. She sees it as the best way to open CBD oil up to families throughout the country in need of help.
"We should have the chance to try this. We should be doing research on this," Figi said.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Families find hope in CBD oil from cannabis | News - Channel3000.com
Author: Dave Delozier
Contact: ddelozier@wisctv.com
Photo Credit: Cater News Agency
Website: Madison Wisconsin News, Madison Weather and Wisconsin Sports - WISC-TV
"She had been through periods in her life where she wasn't going to make it," Charlotte's mother, Paige Figi, said. "So I had said goodbye to her in my heart many, many times."
Doctors had tried without success to control Charlotte's seizures, and the family was running out of options.
"It was absolutely, devastatingly impossible, but as a mother, if you have children you understand this, you would do anything for your kids even if it sounds ludicrous, even if it sounds controversial," Figi said.
What she decided to try was indeed controversial. CBD oil, a bi-product of Hemp was suggested as, if nothing else, an end-of-life treatment to ease Charlotte's pain. It would mean giving a bi-product of cannabis to a child.
"I was terrified to go to the hospital. I didn't want the doctors to remove her from my care. So it was a big fear," Figi said.
What she very quickly found was the CBD oil was not an end-of-life treatment, it was giving Charlotte a second chance at life.
"It is a 180-degree difference from what we went through before. Her seizures are 99.9 percent controlled," Figi said. "She has one, two or three seizures per month, from 1,200."
To help other families with children dealing with seizure disorders, Figi helped to create the Realm of Caring. The nonprofit organization provides counseling and resources for families.
In the last three years at least 400 families from around the country have moved from their home state, where CBD oil is either not legal or not available, and relocated to Colorado Springs.
Nine months ago Meagan and Kenneth Patrick left their home in Acton, Maine, to bring their 2-year-old daughter, Addelyn, to Colorado Springs.
"Many times we were very scared for her life," Kenneth Patrick said. "Any chance at all to save your kids or do anything you need to do for your kids, you do it."
Before beginning CBD oil treatments, Addelyn was unresponsive and spent much of everyday asleep.
"It is hard to describe. She was just like a little sack of potatoes. She really could just lay there. She was not laughing or smiling. She was sleeping upwards of 22 hours a day," Meagan Patrick said. "Within the first couple of doses, Addelyn started smiling again. And again this is my near lifeless child laying there for months and months."
Heather Jackson, the executive director for Realm of Caring, said third-party doctors have observed a 73.5 percent reduction in seizures for children treated with CBD oil.
"This doesn't work for everyone, but it does work for the majority," said Jackson.
CBD oil is legal in Colorado, as is medical and recreational marijuana.
In 2014 the Wisconsin State Legislature passed a bill making CBD oil legal, but requires approval of CBD by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration before it can be dispensed. That is something that has not happened.
"So it probably has promise for young people. It is just that larger-scale research has not been done yet," said Dr. Patrick Fehling, of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, he is also a graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine.
Further research into CBD oil is something Figi wants to see happen. She sees it as the best way to open CBD oil up to families throughout the country in need of help.
"We should have the chance to try this. We should be doing research on this," Figi said.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Families find hope in CBD oil from cannabis | News - Channel3000.com
Author: Dave Delozier
Contact: ddelozier@wisctv.com
Photo Credit: Cater News Agency
Website: Madison Wisconsin News, Madison Weather and Wisconsin Sports - WISC-TV
