This month Raw Cannabis would like to
present ʻA Motherʼs Journeyʼ (and Lynʼs
journey to medicinal therapeutic cannabis),
by Lyn Cleaver (Tasmania). We were going
to do an interview however once Lyn got
writing with us on this, there was no need
for us to ask questions as she has so
willingly shared her story for us all. This
was not an easy thing for Lyn, nothing to do
with her sonʼs illnesses has been, yet she
wakes each day to make this world a better
place for her family and society as a whole.
It was moving to work with Lyn on this
piece for Raw Cannabis this month and the
Raw Cannabis Team want to thank Lyn
deeply for sharing her story with us all, this
is her story.
“When it came to advocating for cannabis, it
was a natural step for us to take. We were
terrified of going public as Jeremy is not able to
give permission for us to treat him with
cannabis. There is always a risk involved with
being public about cannabis use. My networks
revolve around children and adults with serious
life threatening conditions. My online home is
with the Encephalitis network, with other mums
who know my grief all too well. Their journeys
all differ to ours as no brain responds the same
to encephalitis, but in so many ways they all
grieve for the child they had but the child who is
still with them. I knew in my heart once I saw
how well cannabis was working for Jeremy
that I had no choice, I must share our
experience.
Encephalitis is an insidious condition that
leaves you with varying levels of deficit.
Most of the children and families I am
connected with suffer uncontrolled seizures.
Many are much more debilitated than
Jeremy, bed bound unable to hold their head
or feed orally. Many of them suffer
devastating seizures. Many of these dear
children have passed away. Acute
encephalitis is still considered a rare and life
threatening condition.
What I know about cannabis used
therapeutically now leads me to firmly
believe that when children (and adults)
present symptoms, the first line of
treatment should be cannabis! Anti-viral,
anti-inflammatory, anti-seizure. It just
makes so much sense to me. The
treatments we have used, and I have seen
other parents agree to use are so much
more toxic than cannabis. We were told year
after year, if you do not give Jeremy these
medications he will die from his seizures. I
found my voice, once when Jeremy was still
in pediatric care. I guess in many ways that
was the real start of our journey. I knew what
was best for Jeremy, and I knew when risks
were too great to take. In this case his
Paediatric Neurologist suggested that in
order to control Jeremy seizures success
would be found with a medication called
Sabril. Of all the things epilepsy has stolen
from Jeremy perhaps the thing I miss the
most is his voice. At age six before January
8th 1998 Jeremy was a bubbly vocal child.