Family of three-year-old girl finds success after moving to Colorado for medical cannabis

ith a
porcelain face like a doll, brown-eyed Michaela is changing lives as her
parents, Adam and Kristy Frederick, advocate for her right to have the best
quality of life possible. Michaela suffered brain damage due to a lack of
oxygen during her birth, which has caused her to face up to 100 epileptic
seizures a day. Also vision impaired, Michaela responds best to her music
therapy. She finds so much joy in music, singing and voices, especially those
of other children. Beyond that, her affectionate parents admit that she loves
cuddling and kisses too.

Michaela has
been prescribed various medications throughout her life, some of which have had
debilitating side effects. This young girl has been administered eight
anti-seizure medications alone with hopes of controlling her seizures and pain.
The resulting effects on this toddler have been painful for her parents to
watch. Michaela has faced a range of side effects from sleeping all the time
(sometimes all day and night for days), and when she is awake, she is sometimes
in pain, screaming, crying and fussy. Adam shares their difficulty in
understanding what she’s up against, “It is hard to say what side effects she’s
facing. Michaela is non-verbal, so she can’t tell us how she feels. There could
be an underlying side effect that she’s experiencing, and she can’t tell us, so
we don’t know.” After exhausting countless treatments and medications,
Michaela’s family joined the many cannabis refugees who crossed state lines
from Illinois into Colorado to get their child necessary and life-changing
treatment.

Adam was
able to obtain a one-year transfer from work (which he eventually got extended
another six months), and the family moved to Colorado. In January 2014, they
first introduced cannabis oil to Michaela. Within 48 hours, they saw a huge
reduction in her seizures, and she went on to be seizure-free for about 22
days. Soon after that, Michaela’s parents started getting her off some of the
pharmaceutical medications, and she began napping less, holding onto things,
smiling more and becoming much more vocal.

The
Frederick family spent these happy 14 months living life to the fullest. They
went to the top of Mount Evans and Trail Ridge Road, hiked any wheelchair
accessible trail they could find, and for the first time they could travel and
explore without having to worry about Michaela’s health.

Sadly, just
last August, Michaela was hospitalized at Children’s Hospital Colorado, and
last October, she came down with pancreatitis. Michaela’s parents had to take
her off various medications, including her cannabis oil. Adam stated, “The
doctors have said that her pancreatitis is most likely related to her seizure
medications and ketogenic diet, which is the diet you use to try and control
seizures.”

Michaela is
having more seizures since being off the oil, but the family is waiting for her
to heal from pancreatitis before they can start her treatment again. Adam and
Kristy also plan on waiting until they are back in Illinois to start Michaela
on cannabis, and they have found a cultivation center who has agreed to grow a
high CBD strain for her. Unfortunately, even once the Fredericks have obtained
medical cannabis in their home state, they will continue to face issues with
transporting their daughter’s medication.

Michaela has
up to 10 specialists all over the country, and if her family is unable to
travel with her cannabis, then she will not do well. Kristy shared her
frustration, “If we started the oil in Illinois, and we took her to Ohio for
her doctor to stay overnight, would we be breaking the law? Yeah. It’s really
hard.” However frustrating the current laws can be, the Frederick family hopes
to see progress towards the federal re-scheduling of cannabis, as well as
medical research that will benefit children who live with conditions like
Michaela. Adam went on to say, “For everything that Michaela has taught me
about life and myself, it’s the least we can do to take a stand for her and to
speak out for Michaela, and give her the best chance. At the end of the day,
cannabis oil has been the best option for Michaela.”