7 Inspiring Medicinal Marijuana Stories from Real-Life Patients
Many people suffering from chronic pain or epilepsy turn to medical marijuana to help them manage their symptoms. Patients often find they have a better quality of life using cannabis.
Thanks in part to these medical marijuana success stories, the FDA recently approved one type of medical marijuana. The drug helps treat patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome, two types of debilitating epilepsy.
On this list of medicinal marijuana stories, you’ll find out how medical cannabis changed the lives of people who thought they had no hope left.
1. Rebecca Sewell
Rebecca suffers from many chronic illnesses including Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).
When Rebecca was ten years old, another child placed handcuffs on her ankle as part of a magic trick without her consent. She started feeling intense pain after freeing herself and doctors diagnosed her with RSD (an older term for CRPS).
At one point, Rebecca had to use a walker to get around because the pain from her condition was so intense. Most medical treatments failed her, including a spinal cord stimulation and morphine treatment.
Rebecca started with recreational marijuana and then experimented with medical cannabis to find relief.
After a time, doctors removed the morphine pump at her request. It a painful process only made easier with the relaxing effects of medical cannabis.
She is now managing her pain and no longer needs a walker or a wheelchair for assistance. She is an advocate of medical cannabis, using her success story as an example to inspire others.
2. Charlotte Figi (Charlotte’s Web)
Charlotte’s tale is a well-known medical marijuana story in the medical cannabis world.
Charlotte was three years old when she had her first seizure. Her seizures increased in both intensity and frequency as she got older.
Doctors diagnosed Charlotte with Dravet’s Syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy. She was only five years old and suffering roughly 300 grand mal seizures per week. Her body was so badly affected that her parents and doctor put her in a medically induced coma.
With no options for Charlotte, the family turned to medical cannabis.
The results were astounding.
Charlotte suffered no seizures her first week of trying the cannabis oil.
The family turned to the Stanley Brothers to supply them with a supply of medical marijuana. The brothers created a strain with no psychoactive effects. The strain worked so well that the brothers changed the name of the strain to Charlotte’s Web in honor of her.
3. Ashley Surin
Ashley was eleven years old when the school told her she couldn’t to go to class anymore. The school didn’t allow her medical marijuana patch or CBD lotions that she used for her seizures.
Ashley was only a toddler when doctors diagnosed her with childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). ALL is a type of cancer that impacts the white blood cells and makes it harder to fight infections.
Ashley underwent treatment, but she was still having seizures.
The medication she took at the time caused her to suffer side effects and mood swings. Tired of seeing her like that, the family turned to medical marijuana as a form of treatment.
It’s the cannabidiol that helps with seizures and pain and not the THC, which causes the high.
Medical marijuana is often used as a treatment for cancer patients. But prescribed or not, her patch wasn’t allowed in school.
The family went to court, and in time Ashley returned to school. Her family hopes to change the state laws to help other children like Ashley.
4. Walter Rodlund
Walter lives in Fargo, ND, and most people know him as “Grandpa”. Even at 81 years old, Walter worked in his yard and enjoyed the outdoors.
When Walter had trouble breathing, he discovered he had COPD.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD, often leaves a patient in pain and short of breath.
Dealing with pain and blood clots in his lungs, Walter was no longer able to enjoy the outdoors. Fishing, hunting, and gardening became impossible for him. It was his daughter that introduced him to CBD hemp oil.
Walter says the CBD helped lower his medication dosage and increase his lung capacity.
He can now enjoy the outdoors again.
5. Beyla Pagano
Born premature, Beyla had a large amount of cerebrospinal fluid built up in her brain. Not only did this cause terrible seizures, but doctors didn’t think Beyla would ever walk or talk.
The prescriptions for Beyla left her in a drowsy and drugged state.
Deciding it was no life for a child, her parents looked for other forms of treatment. They came across medical marijuana and decided to try it.
Immediately after treatment, Beyla showed improvement. She can now walk and talk, and her seizures are less frequent. Her parents continue to administer CBD oil with the hopes Beyla will continue to improve.
6. Vivian Stagg
Vivian was a bus driver at the time she started having seizures. As soon as she realized what was happening, she knew it wasn’t safe to keep driving.
Vivian started taking prescriptions, but they left her emotionally numb and tired.
She was having 12-15 seizures each month when doctors suggested brain surgery as the only form of relief. It was an invasive surgery with no guarantees of success.
Her daughter suggested CBD oil as an alternative to brain surgery. Vivian had nothing to lose.
After a time, she was able to reduce the intensity and frequency of her seizures. She can now manage her seizures when she feels them coming on and travel on her own.
7. Sadie Higuera
Sadie has a rare genetic disorder known as Schinzel Giedion syndrome. Among other symptoms, SGS causes epileptic seizures. She was only three months old when she suffered up to 300 seizures a day.
Doctors prescribed a number of medications for her, many of which caused side effects. These side effects led to even more prescriptions, and Sadie wasn’t even a year old yet.
When told that the only option for Sadie was a drug that would likely end her life, her parents decided to try medical cannabis.
The Higueras say that the CBD oil helps with Sadie’s pain and her seizures.
Once told that she wouldn’t live past age two, Sadie recently celebrated her fifth birthday.
Medicinal Marijuana Stories to Inspire Us
These are only a few of many medical cannabis success stories. Many people claim medical marijuana helps with pain, seizures, and other complications or diseases.
Hopefully, these medicinal marijuana stories inspired you.
If you’re interested in finding a medical marijuana doctor, contact us and book an appointment. We have locations in Tampa and Hudson, FL.
