Maddie’s journey and our story is a daily struggle. Every day there are unknowns and what ifs lurking. Due to lack of research, we still don’t know how much cannabis is helping little Maddie with her Grand Mal seizures.
Is use of whole-plant cannabis palliating her symptoms? Absolutely. Did the plant stop her life-threatening seizures? Definitely. Did cannabis treatment prove she didn’t need to be on all those harmful drugs? You bet your ass. Did Maddie change the minds of doctors and medical professionals at the hospital? Yes.
-
Related Story: Whole-Plant Marijuana Extract Extended The Life Of This Girl Suffering From Zellweger Syndrome
But what happens when a new symptom pops up? What happens if the grand mal seizures come back? I don’t know how long my daughter has on this planet, but what I do know is it is her human right to safely access the life-saving plant. With cannabis she laughs, she plays, she smiles, and can be more herself.
-
Related Story: How The Charlotte’s Web Marijuana Strain Helped My Son
For me, this is not a choice, this is something I must do; provide Maddie the relief she deserves using cannabis. It is my duty to stand up for my daughter. I must advocate the use of the plant for Maddie and other children where it might be helpful and even life-saving. I have made it my mission to show the medical community, the public, our legislators, that enough is enough.
No parent should go through what my husband and I have gone through. Imagine watching four grown men rotate doing CPR on your child’s lifeless body while alarms ring and the intercom screaming code blue. Would you do anything to help your child? Would you research alternatives when your child’s team of experts says there’s nothing left? I will not stop giving my baby life-saving medicine and I will not stop advocating for those without a voice until they are heard and listened to.
I have drafted, and been advocating for Maddie’s Law, HB1060 & SB 5290, which would allow medical cannabis patients in Washington state to safely access their medicine while at school.