Would you be prepared to break the law to save your child’s life?
That’s
just what happened to the Lambert family from Sydney Australia, who
decided to give Katelyn, then just a baby, a cannabis extract.
“Who
do you love more than your children? – your grandchildren,” says Joy
Lambert, Katelyn’s grandmother. “So at 67 I decided I could be civilly
disobedient and just do what was right for the children with epilepsy.
That’s how I see it.”
A Bleak Future for Katelyn
Katelyn,
now 4, was born with a rare genetic disorder called Dravet Syndrome,
which at its worst saw her fitting over a thousand times a day. Starting
when she was just 6 months old, Katelyn’s future looked bleak; despite
taking a cocktail of antiepileptic medication, her seizures continued
unabated, damaging her brain and mental function.
After
a particularly harrowing two-and-a-half-hour seizure that saw Katelyn
helicoptered to a specialist hospital, the family decided to look for
alternative treatments. And before long Katelyn’s father Michael came
across the CNN documentary
about fellow Dravet sufferer Charlotte Fiji who, after taking high CBD/
low THC cannabis oil, had experienced an almost unthinkable improvement
in her condition.
CBD,
otherwise known as Cannabidiol, is one of over 100 compounds in the
cannabis plant called Cannabinoids and has proven to have particular
efficacy in cases of childhood epilepsy.
Could Cannabidiol Be the Answer to Katelyn’s Seizures?
Spurred on by Charlotte’s improvement, Michael took to the internet, eventually ordering CBD Hemp extract from Danish company Endoca. The change was immediate.
“Katelyn
has not had a seizure in a year,” says Joy, “and that is miraculous for
Dravet Syndrome. It is untreatable by normal medicines.”
“I’ve
seen such a difference since she’s been on the CBD,” Joy goes on.
“She’s happier, she’s more alert, she goes to preschool. We don’t fear
when she’s there that she’ll have six seizures through that day, so
we’re very happy with that. It’s a little step, but we’ve got to be
grateful for that. She’s alive.”
Lamberts Donate $33.7 Million to Cannabis Research
This
would be just another ‘medical cannabis miracle cure’ story if it
weren’t for the fact that Barry Lambert, Katelyn’s grandfather, is a
multimillionaire. Neither he nor wife Joy had ever smoked a joint in
their lives, but they were so amazed by Katelyn’s improvement that they
decided to donate $33.7 million to medical cannabis research.
The result? The Lambert Initiative at Sydney University, which ‘will explore the potential of compounds derived from the cannabis plant (cannabinoids) in treating a range of diseases.’
“Now
there is a lot of anecdotal evidence around the world for the benefits
of CBD for kids with seizures but there are also possible benefits for a
whole range of diseases and that’s what the research is aimed at, not
just epilepsy,” says Barry. “So hopefully before long we’ll hear how
cannabinoids from medical cannabis can assist a range of medical
conditions.”
The
Lamberts hope that their unprecedented donation could be a real game
changer in the world of medical cannabis research, especially at a time
when, at least in Australia, the laws are changing to permit the use of
cannabis for certain medical conditions.
“I
think there’s a lot riding on this Sydney University research,” says
Barry. “And hopefully the scientists will prove what we believe to be
true beyond doubt. I think the cannabis plant will be proven to be the
wonder plant of this century. I know it’s been around for previous
centuries, but I think scientists will discover what a wonderful plant
it is and it will be of great benefit to mankind.”
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