Monique Guillamot found what appears to be a life-saving cure for her four-year-old son, but the government says he can’t have it.
Her son Keyaan suffers from a rare condition called Dravet Syndrome and has been on life support four times. Doctors have prescribed large doses of various pharmaceuticals at increasing doses, but nothing helped his frequent seizures until a doctor in Luxembourg prescribed hemp oil in August 2013.
Three days after starting, three of Keyaan’s seizure types stopped. As treatment continued he began to speak more, could go to school longer, and stopped drooling.
“It was unbelievable, the clinical evolution with the marijuana,” said Guillamot, who now lives in Edmonton with Keyaan.
“It was like his brain was woken up. He was on all these meds, sedated for so long, and within a month he was like a new child.”
Unfortunately, the treatment cost $500 a month, a price Guillamot could not afford as a single mom with a son who requires round-the-clock supervision.
The Fort McMurray native moved back to Alberta with Keyaan hoping to find better health care, but the oil her son needs is still illegal here despite herself and other parents taking their stories to elected officials.
“I want to save my son, but I’m not going to jail to do it,” she said. “I do not understand why they don’t want to help them. It breaks my heart. It doesn’t make sense.”
Cannabis plants contain THC and cannabidiol (CBD), the latter of which scientists believe can calm the excessive electrical and chemical brain activity that causes seizures. Keyaan needs an oil extract high in CBD to offer the calming effect without the high.
CBD oil violates Health Canada’s Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations that came into effect last April, which only allow licensed producers sell medical marijuana in dried form to be smoked or vaporized.
“He’s four years old, and you’re not supposed to smoke. There’s THC, it’s psychoactive,” Monique said.
Her options are limited. She could get the oil in Vancouver, where dispensaries are common and mostly ignored by police, or find a compassion club to help her with extraction. Both options are expensive and technically illegal.
“It’s overwhelming that I live in a country that won’t help me save my son,” Monique said.
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Her son Keyaan suffers from a rare condition called Dravet Syndrome and has been on life support four times. Doctors have prescribed large doses of various pharmaceuticals at increasing doses, but nothing helped his frequent seizures until a doctor in Luxembourg prescribed hemp oil in August 2013.
Three days after starting, three of Keyaan’s seizure types stopped. As treatment continued he began to speak more, could go to school longer, and stopped drooling.
“It was unbelievable, the clinical evolution with the marijuana,” said Guillamot, who now lives in Edmonton with Keyaan.
“It was like his brain was woken up. He was on all these meds, sedated for so long, and within a month he was like a new child.”
Unfortunately, the treatment cost $500 a month, a price Guillamot could not afford as a single mom with a son who requires round-the-clock supervision.
The Fort McMurray native moved back to Alberta with Keyaan hoping to find better health care, but the oil her son needs is still illegal here despite herself and other parents taking their stories to elected officials.
“I want to save my son, but I’m not going to jail to do it,” she said. “I do not understand why they don’t want to help them. It breaks my heart. It doesn’t make sense.”
Cannabis plants contain THC and cannabidiol (CBD), the latter of which scientists believe can calm the excessive electrical and chemical brain activity that causes seizures. Keyaan needs an oil extract high in CBD to offer the calming effect without the high.
CBD oil violates Health Canada’s Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations that came into effect last April, which only allow licensed producers sell medical marijuana in dried form to be smoked or vaporized.
“He’s four years old, and you’re not supposed to smoke. There’s THC, it’s psychoactive,” Monique said.
Her options are limited. She could get the oil in Vancouver, where dispensaries are common and mostly ignored by police, or find a compassion club to help her with extraction. Both options are expensive and technically illegal.
“It’s overwhelming that I live in a country that won’t help me save my son,” Monique said.
more
