Pubdate: Tue, 09 Dec 2014
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2014 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122
Author: John Inglold

MEDICAL MARIJUANA CREDITED WITH PROGRESS FOR CHARLOTTE FIGI

The CBD boom in Colorado started with a story.

There were 35 juvenile medical marijuana patients in Colorado in 
March 2013, when CNN landed in the state to film a documentary about 
one of them.

Since infancy, Charlotte Figi suffered from debilitating seizures due 
to Dravet syndrome. She practically lived at the hospital, where her 
parents, Paige and Matt, had signed do-not-resuscitate orders for 
their little girl. Every night when they went to sleep, Charlotte's 
older brother and twin sister said their goodbyes to her, not knowing 
whether she'd be alive in the morning.

Then, in February 2012, when Charlotte was 5, her parents gave her 
CBD, and everything changed literally overnight.

Charlotte slept soundly for the first time in years. She went seven 
days without a seizure. Over time, the seizures dropped from 
thousands a month to just a few. After not speaking for six months, 
she started talking again.

CBD wasn't a cure. Charlotte still has seizures, although Paige says 
she hasn't had one requiring hospitalization in two years. She has 
made leaps in her cognitive development, but, now 8 years old, she is 
only at the level of a 2-year-old, her mother said.

But, for the Figis, it was a new dawn: Their little girl was happy again.

"I didn't think she was in there anymore," Paige said. "I thought 
that Charlotte was gone."

Paige said Charlotte now takes only cannabis to control her seizures.

Despite the uncertainty over how often CBD works, Charlotte's story 
continues to show how transformative the treatment can be when it 
does work. She is the embodiment of the hope that has drawn families 
from across the country to Colorado.

"I had no idea it would be that big of a deal," Paige said. "I didn't 
understand ... that there were this many people who had nothing to try."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom