recent flu-related deaths is a 3-year-old girl in iowa. her parents say she went from perfect health with no pre-existing conditions and became severely dehydrated in pain. then rushed to a hospital in des moines where she later died. just a few days after showing initial signs of the flu. another tragic case in minnesota. 7-year-old ruby hanson died christmas eve. her mother believe shed might have survived had she not had a pre-existing medical condition. the flu would not have done her in had she not had gervais syndrome. seizure was caused by the flu. reporter: by the centers for disease control, it is showing that the flu has reached an epidemic level in the united states. one of the strains making people sick this season has mutated causing this year s vaccination to be less than optimal for protection. the most common virus that
nothing was behind yet. by the time she was 2, 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
joyful little girl. she started to really decline, cognitively. and she was slipping away. and she just wasn t keeping up with her twin. the figges 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, banging her head on the floor and pulling her hair out. like a possessed child. this isn t your 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, but nothing seemed to help. even worse, some of the
something s wrong with you. she lived her life in a catatonic state. now her parents get to meet her for the first time. what a revelation. yeah, gee. 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. bee. she was talking. even walking. please. she said please. go. but these stories, they are not without their skeptics. one of the country s two hospitals dedicated to gervais
something s wrong with you. she lived her life in a catatonic state. now her parents get to meet her for the first time. what a revelation. yeah, gee. 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. go. 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.