she lived her life in a catatonic state. now her parents get to meet her for the first time. what a revelation. the child who had 300 seizures a week was now down to just one every seven days. pitter pat, tiptoe. when i first met charlotte, march of 2013 it was one year after that first dose of marijuana. achoo. after almost two years on a feeding tube, she was now eating on her own. yellow. she was talking. even walking. please. she said please. but these stories, they are not without their skeptics. one of the country s two hospitals dedicated to gervais syndrome in florida states at present there is no evidence that cannabidiol is effective for the treatment of epilepsy.
one of the country s two hospitals dedicated to gervais syndrome in florida states at present there is no evidence that cannabidiol is effective for the treatment of epilepsy. the american academy of pediatrics also opposes cannabis as does the national institute on drug abuse. it is such an amazing turn of events that it really can t be a fluke, but i do still wonder. do you still wonder too, matt? hell no. you know it s working? it s working great. you just look wonderful. and charlotte s doctor, alan shackelford, also agrees. yet his commitment to medical marijuana has drawn criticism. he has even been called dr. feel good. how difficult is this for you to talk about as a physician? we are typically conservative as a profession and probably as individuals. we want more proof, and cannabis doesn t have that. and it s why he has traveled the world to look for
though, the seizures had become constant, and started to take their toll on their once happy, joyful little girl. she started to really decline, cognitively. and she was slipping away. and she just wasn t keeping up with her twin. they finally found an answer, and it was awful news. gervais syndrome. it is severe intractable epilepsy. the seizures start during the first year of life and are unstoppable, difficult to control, and very damaging. severe behavioral problems. attention deficit and hyperactivity. the self-injury, you know, banging her head on the floor and pulling her hair out. like a possessed child. this isn t your perfect, happy charlotte. it was a race against time. many gervais kids die young, in early childhood. charlotte was almost 3. for the next two years, the figges tried everything. strange diets, acupuncture, and dozens of powerful drugs like valium, ativan, phenobarbital,
happening, i can tell you it was remarkable to see her progress. in the three months since we first met her, we saw a change. she was now talking more. say puppy. puppy! yay! she s horseback riding. good girl. she even rides a bike on her own. and the special strain made for charlotte is now named for her. it s charlotte s web. it is charlotte s plant. it s charlotte s plant. not anymore. now it s for all the children. more than 41 children are using charlotte s web here in colorado. all of them are reporting significant seizure reduction, and there are dozens more on a wait list hoping, praying that a plant could change their lives. just like it did for charlotte. i m going to get you. you both seem very at peace. i m very at peace, yeah. very peaceful. we ve been given a great life. it s unfortunate that charlie has this gervais syndrome, but thank god we ve got something now that s working. now that s working. she s doing so great today.
in the three months since we first met her, we saw a change. she was now talking more. say puppy. puppy! yay! she s horseback riding. good girl. she even rides a bike on her own. and the special strain made for charlotte is now named for her. it s charlotte s web. it is charlotte s plant. it s charlotte s plant. not anymore. now it s for all the children. more than 41 children are using charlotte s web here in colorado. all of them are reporting significant seizure reduction, and on a wait list hoping, praying that a plant could change their lives. just like it did for charlotte. i m going to get you. you both seem very at peace. i m very at peace, yeah. very peaceful. we ve been given a great life. it s unfortunate that charlie has this gervais syndrome, but thank god we ve got something now that s working. she s doing so great today.