My name is Casey, and although I have a medicinal cannabis story of my own, the one I am going to be sharing today is much more informative and awe inspiring than mine. It is that of my father, Mike.
My Dad suffers from PSP (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy) which is basically a cousin to Parkinson’s Disorder, with basically the same symptoms and the exact same treatment…or should I say…the same lack of treatment.
My father’s symptoms are not exactly in line with traditional Parkinson’s symptoms (ie the severe tremors which celebrities like Michael J Fox, and Muhammad Ali exhibit(ed). Rather, my father’s main symptoms relate to his total loss of balance, less severe hand tremors, and difficulty with talking and swallowing.
After my father was first diagnosed, we started with the traditional remedies prescribed by our doctors, which is to say, they gave us a ton of pills and told us see you in 6 months. Well what people may not understand, and what Doctors definitely SHOULD understand, is that a patient’s condition can severely deteriorate within that 6-month time frame-and when my Father’s condition did in fact deteriorate, and the medication was no longer having any positive effect, the Drs merely told us there was nothing left to do and that my father should basically just continue the meds and hope.
That is when I decided that what the Dr’s had said, was simply not acceptable, and at that point I decided to start researching alternative forms of medicine, specifically cannabis. Originally, we started with full CBD and CBD/THC gummy edibles which were easy for my Dad to swallow. Those seemed to work well enough while my Dad’s symptoms were less severe, but as his symptoms got worse, it was obvious that we needed to try a more concentrated dose of CBD.
We then decided to try a 20:1 CBD tincture and while I don’t usually speak with this much hyperbole, I feel confident saying that is really when the miracle began.
As I stated earlier, about 6 months ago, my father had all but lost his ability to speak. He could sometimes get a whispered Yes or No out, but even those were few and far in between. When we decided to try the tincture, he had not really spoken for over 3-4 months. I had all but accepted the fact that I would never hear my father’s voice again.
But, one night when his tremors were significantly worse, we decided to go with the concentrated dose from the tincture. Not 10 minutes after, I am pleased to say I was listening to my Father say “Story” – his way of asking to have my 6-year-old daughter come in and read him a story (her favorite thing to do for her Pappa).
That single word-turned into two words-and those two words turned into, about 45 minutes later, we were on the phone with both my brothers, and my Dad was clearly telling them both “I love you” – It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever been fortunate enough to witness.
As I said, I truly feel it was nothing short of a miracle.
This was about a month ago, and I am proud to say we have continued using the tinctures and have continue to receive amazing success.
I will end with this – I truly hope there is someone out there who is listening to or reading this – who may themselves know someone suffering from a similar condition, or suffering from similar symptoms, as my Father.
To that person, do something NOW-say something NOW-research NOW-get out and ask questions NOW-be rid of any stigma or taboo feeling you may have about the misconceptions others have about this so called “drug” NOW-and do a small part in helping that person suffering from such a serious condition, find just a little bit-and maybe like my Father-a whole lot-of relief.