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Medical Cannabis

November 12, 2015 by Lauren Leave a Comment

Posted by Lauren Sparks on February 23, 2015 at 9:15 PM Delete 
First bad weather day of the year for us.  Tomorrow is the second.  Allie and a couple of her friends went sledding.  Me, I stayed in my warm house in my pajamas all day.  Gave me lots of time to think about what’s coming on Wednesday.  We are going to the state capital for the very first time to lobby.  We want access to CBD oil (a form of medical marijuana) for Shelby.  I am so excited to get involved.  To be proactive in getting Shelby the treatment she needs.  We are involved in a group called C.A.F.E Texas.  That stands for “compassionate access for epilepsy”.  Although this is a very condensed version of Shelby’s story, I thought I would share with you what is posted on the C.A.F.E Texas website and what is being sent to our Senators and Representatives.

Life is full of surprises and having a child born with a disorder we knew nothing about was a big one. It’s funny how you can become an expert on something when you need to be. And we needed to be. Our daughter Shelby began having generalized tonic clonic seizures before she was 5 months old. We were petrified. It’s a helpless feeling to watch your child suffer. The helplessness multiplied as we tried endless pharmaceutical combinations and treatments (including the ketogenic diet and the Vagus Nerve Stimulator), hoping that the next one would bring control. An now, almost 15 years later, control still eludes us. When Shelby was 8 years old, we finally had a diagnosis for what we had simply been calling a seizure disorder – Dravet Syndrome. 

Shelby has severe developmental delays. At 14, she operates like a child not quite 2. She speaks in one-word utterances, can’t run, needs help feeding herself and is still in diapers. She has low muscle tone and has to use a wheelchair at times. Some of these delays are due to the gene mutation she carries. Some, we have no doubt, are the result of the huge doses of expensive anticonvulsant medication she has been taking for all of her young life. Her medications also cause constant sleep disturbances. In the last calendar year, we can count on one hand the nights of uninterrupted sleep we have all had. 

Despite the challenges, Shelby is a wonderful gift from God. I have watched her bring out the best in those around her. Her special gift is love. She brightens the day of many strangers as she asks for hugs wherever we go. But we have exhausted all current options for increasing seizure control and increasing physical and intellectual development. So we fight to turn over rocks left untouched and pray for something different to treat her. We don’t believe God is through with Shelby yet. There are many lives left for her to touch.

We beg for your prayers as we meet with people who will make important decisions regarding the future treatment for Shelby and others like her.  

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About Me

I love Jesus, my husband and caffeine. The order of these can change depending on how tired I am. When my two daughters, stepson, and 4 grandchildren get to be too much, I practice yoga. God graciously allows me to share our adventures, victories and flub-ups from my laptop. May He be glorified here.
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