Jason H.

This is Jason. He was born happy and healthy. He began seizing after he turned 2. Mildly at first, then by age 3, he was seizing up to 60 times a day! He lost his ability to walk and his speech became unintelligible. He would try to take a couple steps and suddenly lose all his muscle tone and fall flat on his face! This is called an atonic or drop seizure. He was diagnosed with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. He had to wear a helmet for protection for 6 years! No more running and climbing up into his tree fort.

8 medications have not worked to control his multiple different types of seizures. The Ketogenic diet has helped decrease his seizures by half. The strict high fat, low carb diet has not allowed him to enjoy birthday cake or ice cream at his cousins birthday parties. Jason is now 13 yrs old and is unable to enjoy pizza or fast food like his peers do! He is unable to participate in scholastic sports like his 2 other siblings.

Although Jason’s body is growing, his mind is not. He has autism and has raging behaviors at times. He can not make any progress in school due to his constant daily seizures for 10 years. He barely reads on a 1st grade level and can not add or subtract. He can not perform basic life skills such as bathing himself. Sudden temperature changes cause seizures for him. He has seized in the bath tub and swimming pool multiple times.

The neurologist suggested performing a Corpus Callosotomy. This procedure severs the two halves of the brain. Although we have had to administer rescue breathing at times when he has turned blue, this option was not acceptable. There must be SOMETHING better than this extreme surgery. THERE IS. It’s called medical cannabis.

Jason is on a medication that can cause pancreatitis and liver failure, and is addicted to his benzodiazepine. Medical cannabis is a viable, safer next step for us. For Jason to have a chance at a “normal” life, we need to try this oil that will not cause him to be “high”. Especially since it has been reported that behaviors decrease as well as seizures! Legalize Medical Cannabis so Jason can have the life he deserves!