Sophie Ryan has been a cannabis consumer for four years. She started when she was not quite nine months old when she was diagnosed with Optic Pathway Glioma brain tumor.
Sophie’s heart-warming story was featured on Tuesday’s syndicated talk show The Doctors. On the show, the Ryan family share the story of how CBD oil helped save their daughter’s life.
At 8 ½ months, Sophie was diagnosed with the brain tumor that was wrapped around her optic nerve. The doctors informed Sophie’s parents, Tracy and Josh, that the only treatment was chemotherapy. Tracy began researching CBD oil for use in pediatric cancer, and in consultation with her oncology team, they began dosing Sophie alongside the chemo.
Over the first 13 months, the tumor shrank by 85%, and Sophie stopped needing blood transfusions. Now 5, Sophie is still in treatment, but she is living a healthy, normal life, and the Ryans believe that CBD oil was crucial in saving Sophie’s life.
-
Related Story:Â This Study Proves That Medical Marijuana Can Help Children
“The only side effects she ever had was a little sleepiness that completely went away as she acclimated to the oils,” according to Tracy. “Now her only side effect is hunger, which is amazing since the chemo can affect her appetite. Despite several rounds of chemo, Sophie continued to gain weight and has a great quality of life despite having chemo once a week with short breaks from time to time. Her hair has grown back, she is advancing developmentally, and despite the nine blood transfusions she has required she is otherwise very happy and healthy,” she added.
CBD oil is legal in dozens of states, but the demand for the oil is much greater than the supply in most states.
“Our kids have to be the guinea pigs,” Tracy says. “We’re the ones that have to try all these different approaches, and try different strains, and try different extraction processes, and see what works, because the government won’t legalize it so we can do federally funded trails.”
To help support Sophie and other children using CBD as a treatment, Tracy maintains the “Prayers for Sophie” Facebook page. There is also a Saving Sophie site.
Watch a clip here:
Â