Being the parent of a child with a health problem is a situation that everyone wants to avoid, and many parents have found that therapeutic cannabis can play a vital role in causing their children’s conditions to remit and in eliminating the side effects of the medications they regularly take. Only some, however, even have the opportunity to take medical cannabis.

This is the story of ten children from different parts of the world who managed to treat their illnesses thanks to medical marijuana, as they found themselves in some of the few countries that allow treatments of this type with minors.

Charlotte Figi

Her case was one of the first to hit the media. She suffered up to 300 epileptic attacks each week, triggered by Dravet's Syndrome, which prevented her from speaking, eating or walking. Her heart had even stopped several times. Her parents were able to administer her cannabis oil, which reduced those attacks by 99%. The product has taken the name of the strain she needed to consume: Charlotte's Web, which today serves as medication for other children, thanks to the Realm of Caring platform.>

Allie Swann

At age 14 Allie Swann suffered attacks similar to Charlotte's, enduring up to 100 in one day. She underwent complicated treatments, they had to extirpate part of her brain, and she was forced to consume all types of debilitating medications. Her parents decided that the only solution was to travel to Colorado, along with other 115 families, to try the strain that had helped Figi. The Swann family reports that their daughter's improvement was beyond what they could have imagined. 

Jayden David

Little Jayden also suffers from Dravet Syndrome. Before taking marijuana oil he couldn´t walk or eat solid foods, needed help to go to the bathroom, took up to 22 pills per day, and had to be rushed to the hospital in an ambulance 44 times. “He spent his days in pain, suffering and crying,” his father says. Now, thanks to the effects of marijuana, his health has recovered and he is happy once again. 

Sydni Yunek

At age 10 Sydni Yunek moved to Colorado to receive therapeutic cannabis treatment. She had suffered convulsions since age four, which had rendered her incapable of swallowing. Six months of treatment with marijuana oil sufficed to cut her attacks by 75%, which has helped her to concentrate, walk, and to carry out simple tasks. The girl no longer depends on a tube to eat, and she even can sneeze, something that was totally impossible less than a year ago. 

Mykayla Comstock

Mykayla is eight years old and suffers from leukaemia. Until a few months ago she was tired almost all day, but was unable to sleep, did not eat, always felt sad, and began to present symptoms of autism. Thanks to her parents' decision to turn to medical marijuana - she takes cannabis oil and even lollipops - the child now sleeps, has an appetite, and is active once again. Her parents even report that her tumour is subsiding and weakening. 

Abel McBride 

Abel McBride’s parents followed the example of the Mykayla family. From a very young age he suffered from a Wilms’ Tumour, the most common form of kidney cancer. The disease abated thanks to a new marijuana-based medication. Despite his tender age, he has become accustomed to taking cannabis oil directly from his pacifier. Abel is now running around, shouting and playing again. 

Liam McKnight

This Canadian boy was authorised to consume medicinal marijuana at the age of just five. Liam McKnight has Dravet Syndrome and suffered 67 attacks per day, lasting up to four minutes. The first ten days he went on cannabis oil he suffered none, spoke, and even played sports. His parents do everything they must in order to obtain this oil, as the laws of their country would compel Liam to smoke it or take it in vaporized form.

Sean and Tara

These Australian brothers were diagnosed with epilepsy when they were six and nine years old. Ever since the disease was detected their health had deteriorated. In fact, in 2012 doctors concluded that their condition was terminal. Sean and Tara’s family finally decided to turn to the country's only producer of cannabis oil who, unfortunately, is now in jail. Sean and Tara's parents will not hesitate to break the law to obtain more marijuana for their children.

Aviel Eshed

A few months after being diagnosed with bone marrow cancer, the parents of this Israeli child decided that the time had come to try other treatments. Some time after beginning with chemotherapy, they opted for medicinal marijuana. Now they report that, had they known that it would have alleviated his pain as it has, they would not have hesitated to use it previously.