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BARROW JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2016
But getting the oil is still
illegal. In-state cultivation
has not been approved and
the Food and Drug Admin
istration lists cannabis as a
Schedule I drug, meaning
people can’t transport it
across state lines.
But local families are tak
ing the risk. Here are some
of their stories:
RYAN
One Auburn mother uses
the oil to treat her son’s
Dravet Syndrome, a severe
form of epilepsy that cannot
be treated with regular epi
lepsy medications.
Ryan had his first febrile
seizure when he was eight-
months-old, which doctors
initially thought could be
due to teething or an infec
tion. But the seizures con
tinued.
By the time he was four-
years-old, his seizures were
out of control. Ryan’s moth
er, Kimberly Skriba, said he
has had up to 100 seizures a
month, and up to 28 seizures
in one night.
Now 17-years-old, Ryan
has been on 17 different
medications and Skriba
said each had terrible side
effects. When Ryan started
taking cannabis oil, his sei
zures decreased. Ryan now
has less than 35 seizures a
month.
“Cannabis oil has been our
last hope," said Skriba. “I
know this is not a cure but it
could help him live a better
life without so many sei
zures. We have tried so many
different drugs and therapies
that don’t work. We know
that cannabis oil is working
for him."
LAINEY
Erin Cleveland, of Winder,
says the cannabis oil is also
working for her daughter,
Lainey.
Lainey was born four
weeks early and began hav
ing twitching episodes when
she was almost four-months-
old. Doctors said they were
infantile tremors, probably
due to her premature birth.
But the seizures kept
occurring and after one
episode of seizure clusters,
she was sent to Children’s
Healthcare of Atlanta. Doc
tors diagnosed her with
Aicardi Syndrome, a rare
form of epilepsy.
Lainey started taking can
nabis oil in January 2014.
Cleveland began giving her
the oil secretly, wondering if
others would notice a differ
ence. Lainey’s therapist and
others close to the family
noticed immediately.
Cleveland said the most
noticeable improvements are
cognitive. Since starting the
oil, Lainey made eye contact
for the first time and smiles
and babbles. She also has
fewer seizures.
Lainey had been on sever
al medications before start
ing the oil, and Cleveland
said they had harsh effects
on her.
“The other medicines take
your child away,” said Cleve
land.
NORAH
Another northeast Geor
gia girl has benefited from
the cannabis oil in her battle
with Aicardi Syndrome.
Becky Lynch adopted her
daughter, Norah, when she
was five months old. A few
months later, Norah start
ed having infantile spasms.
Lynch describes the seizures
as “brutal," especially the
grand mal seizures, which
effect Norah’s breathing.
“They are the seizures that
take lives," said Lynch.
Lynch said Norah has been
on every anti-epileptic medi
cation available, but the sei
zures continue.
She’s been hospitalized
several times on life support
and is considered a terminal
child. During one hospital
visit, the chaplain was asked
to speak with the Lynches.
Norah started using canna
bis oil in July and she hasn’t
been hospitalized since. She
hasn’t had another grand mal
seizure and Lynch said she’s
had a 90 percent reduction in
the number of total seizures.
While Lynch knows Norah
may never be seizure-free,
she said the oil has been
lifesaving.
“My daughter would not
be here right now if not for
Cannibas continued from 1A
BATTLES DRAVET SYNDROME
Ryan, a 17-year-old Auburn youth, uses cannabis
oil for his Dravet Syndrome, a form of epilepsy
that cannot be treated with anti-epileptics.
cannabis oil," said Lynch.
HAWK
Hawk Harrison, of Banks
County, started having sei
zures weeks after he was
born. The doctors weren’t
sure what was causing the
seizures and a CT scan later
revealed Hawk had a mas
sive spontaneous brain hem
orrhage.
He was life-flighted and
put into a coma for weeks.
Doctors placed a drain in his
head to help the blood clot.
Hawk has undergone 10
brain surgeries and shunt
revisions. He’s been through
physical therapy and placed
on several seizure medica
tions.
Hawk’s mom, Katie, said
many of the medicines had
bad side effects. Some could
cause mood swings, cause
cognitive damage or create
a "zombie effect." Hawk
also started a ketogenic
diet, which Katie said did
help with Hawk’s infantile
spasms.
But since starting cannabis
oil in August 2014, Katie
said Hawk has made many
improvements.
Katie said Hawk’s
improvements were imme
diate. She said they could
instantly see a difference in
Hawk’s awareness and a clar
ity in his eyes. His seizures
have become less frequent,
and Hawk’s neurologist said
he noticed an improvement
in his brain scans.
“It is a thousand times bet
ter,” he told Katie during the
appointment.
TRIPP
Some local families have
chosen to remain in the state
and risk legal prosecution
for having the oil transport
ed. But several local families
have chosen to leave their
homes to legally get the oil
in other states.
Laura Oliver and her son,
Tripp, moved from Com
merce to Colorado in 2014
to obtain medical cannabis
to treat Tripp’s Dravet Syn
drome.
Tripp had his first seizure
when he was six-months-old.
It lasted 45 minutes. Doctors
said it was probably a febrile
seizure, but the seizures con
tinued.
Nine weeks later, the Oli
vers found Tripp laying in
his crib with his body half
paralyzed. The paralysis
wore off, but Tripp’s seizures
grew stronger and more fre
quent. Tripp was life-flighted
after having a three-and-a-
half hour long seizure. He
then started having blinking
seizures ever two-to-10 sec
onds.
The Olivers tried sever
al medications and diets,
but the seizures continued.
Before leaving for Colorado,
Tripp’s prolonged seizures
returned and he started seiz
ing through the night.
Frustrated and desperate
to help Tripp, the family
started looking for an alter
native medicine. The fam
ily moved to Colorado and
started Tripp on THCA, a
low-THC oil.
Since starting on canna
bis oil, Tripp’s seizures are
shorter in length and he
hasn’t had any trips to the
emergency room.
“His speech continues to
improve dramatically," said
Oliver. “He can now jump
and stand on one foot for
more than five seconds -
which he could not do before
the oil. He is bright-eyed
and happy. He introduced
himself to everyone he meets
and introduces me as "my
Laura Mom."
Oliver said the family
wants to come home, but
limitations in Georgia’s can
nabis law are keeping them
in Colorado.
“We are working from
afar and through family to
change the current law so
that Tripp can come home,"
said Oliver.
JANEL
Many local adults are
also using cannabis oil to
treat their medical con
ditions. Janel McDaniel,
of Braselton, started hav
ing seizures when she was
31-years-old. McDaniel
said the seizures came out
of nowhere and changed her
life as a wife and mother.
“I had to go from driving.
playing in the lake and Six
Flags, to teaching my kids
seizure protocols and how to
leave the room so they aren’t
scared,” she said.
McDaniel had “drop sei
zures," where she could be
walking and instantly drop
to the ground seizing. The
seizures lasted about five
minutes and the recovery
took days.
McDaniel started taking
the oil last year and said
she’s seen a decrease in the
number of seizures. Her
seizures now last less than
10 seconds and she gets a
warning before they occur.
The oil also cuts down on
the recovery time and allows
McDaniel to be more inde
pendent.
"The best part is that
after the seizure, I now go
right back to normal shortly
afterwards,” she said. “I can
remember things now and I
even recently got to go back
to work.”
McDaniel said she looks
forward to being able to drive
again and getting back to her
normal life as a mother.
But she recognizes the
risk. McDaniel has a legal
card with the Department
of Public Health, but has to
have the oil illegally shipped
across state lines.
"I have to get it from out
of state until we can get
in-state cultivation and risk
going to jail in order to allow
my kids to have a mom,” said
McDaniel.
JENNIFER
Jennifer Howard, of Jef
ferson, has been taking can
nabis oil for six months to
treat her mitochondrial dis
ease. Howard also has dys
tonia, which causes her mus
cles to contract uncontrol
lably, and has gastroparesis,
which essentially paralyzed
her stomach.
"This makes it virtually
impossible to eat," said How
ard. “I spent years practically
living in the hospital on IV
nutrition through a port or
central line.”
Howard had several blood
infections and spent an aver
age of 200 days a year in the
hospital.
Howard started using
cannabis oil six months ago
and hasn’t been hospital
ized since August. She can
eat again and her dystonia
symptoms have improved.
She was confined to a wheel
chair in 2015 but can now
walk short distances with a
cane.
“I have my life back," said
Howard. "My children have
their mom back, and my hus
band has his wife back. I
am living again, and I thank
medical cannabis.”
W.R.
A northeast Georgia par
ent who did not want to be
identified has struggled with
obtaining the CBD oil that
he says dramatically benefits
his 8-V2 year old son who
suffers from juvenile derma-
tomyositis or JDM. JDM is
an autoimmune disorder that
is not yet recognized as a
medical condition named in
the current medical cannabis
legislation in Georgia. His
son’s illness is categorized
with lupus and rheumatoid
arthritis.
“Our son’s diagnosis isn’t
included in the Georgia leg
islation and even if it was,
we wouldn’t have the ability
to get it,” W.R. said.
About five years ago, in
2011, his oldest son at age
four was vaccinated before
starting school.
“We were always some
what cautious with vac
cines,” W.R. said. "We may
have declined a MMR. After
the vaccinations, he ended
up getting a weird rash with
in a week and a half.”
The doctors decided his
son was probably suffering
from hand foot and mouth
disease and gave him some
medication, but it didn’t
work.
Three months later, he was
diagnosed with juvenile der-
matomyositis or JDM. The
doctors wanted to pump him
up with chemo drugs and
steroids, the man said.
As the family would rath
er choose a natural remedy,
they did their research and
came across a doctor in Cal
ifornia, Dr. William Court
ney, a proponent for juicing
cannabis leaves to treat ill
ness. Courtney proposes that
with juicing raw cannabis,
you don’t receive the psy
choactive effects, but you do
receive the medical benefits.
“Heat activates THC,” the
man said. “Without the heat
ing process, THC is not as
psychoactive as normal."
The family moved to Cal
ifornia. They started juicing
cannabis leaves. “We would
go to the grower and get bags
of fresh leaves off the plant,”
the man said.
Within a month, they saw
a dramatic result from juic
ing, which was basically
given to his son as a shot
glass of green juice per day.
But the family could only
afford to stay in California
for three months. In May of
2012, they decided to come
back and changed their son’s
treatment over from fresh
leaves to a CBD oil, which
is made without heating
that was basically smuggled
from someone they knew.
They lost that connection last
year. Since then, their son
has reversed back to having
flare ups and the family has
had to revert back to using
steroids as a treatment and
his son gets immunoglobulin
treatments at Emory once a
month in two consecutive
days.
"We tried the legal hemp
CBD, but there is a symbi
otic relationship between the
CBD and THC,” the man
said. “It has to have some
THC available.”
The family has spread
their cause in an anonymous
manner, especially since
having to revert back to old
methods that have unknown
effects on their son.
"Before we ran out of the
connections, I’ve sent let
ters to legislators and talked
to people in Care Georgia,"
the man said. “I’ve spread
my story in an anonymous
manner.”
Keith
Zimmerman, MD
is now accepting
new patients
Dr. Zimmerman graduated from the
Medical College of Georgia in 1984.
In 1987, he completed his Family
Medicine residency at The Medical
Center in Columbus, Georgia. He is
certified by the American Board of
Family Medicine.
Dr. Zimmerman joined Regional FirstCare in 2007
after having practiced Family Medicine near Athens
for 19 years. He is excited about returning to Primary
Care and is accepting new patients.
The office is located at 1618 Mars Hill Road,
Suite A, Watkinsville. Please call
706-769-2053 to schedule an appointment.
Athens Regional
HEALTH SYSTEM
AthensHealth.org
