A six-year-old girl with a catastrophic form of epilepsy who was recording up to 23 seizures over a 36-hour period is now almost seizure-free after she started taking two doses of cannabis oil a day, her mother has claimed.
Vera Twomey from Aghabullogue, Co Cork, is calling on Minister for Health Simon Harris to support a Bill to enable doctors to prescribe cannabis for certain medical conditions.
Her daughter Ava Barry suffers from Dravet syndrome and needed around-the-clock care before she started on cannabidiol oil earlier this month.
The oil called Charlotte’s Web is legally on sale at a hemp shop in Dublin.
Seizure-free
Vera says her daughter’s life has been transformed since she starting taking the oil.
“The cannabis oil is the best thing to happen to our family. The first 11 days of taking the oil were seizure-free. Seizures are scary and when it is happening you don’t know how the child will be afterwards. Will she lose her words? Will she be able to walk? It has been sensational to have her having so few seizures. It’s like a veil has been lifted.”
However, Ms Twomey fears in time Ava may become resistant to Charlotte’s Web and need stronger medicinal products containing tetrahydrocannabinol, which is not legal in Ireland.
Last July, People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny introduced the Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill to the Dáil. Ms Twomey is very hopeful the Bill will be passed and has set up a petition online.
Prescription
“I am just worried that if we need to we won’t be able to access the THC form of the plant. We need legislation passed so Ava can get a prescription from the doctor.” Doctors should also be able to prescribe cannabidiol oil, she said.
“There shouldn’t be this grey area of us relying on a shop in Dublin.”