This is a real life story about two sisters Chelsea and Tasmin Leyland both living with incurable epilepsy conditions. While one has access to medical cannabis and the other has been denied the ability to experience the benefits from cannabis. Here is how Chelsea Leyland, an activist, is trying to fight for a universal fair access to medical cannabis.
Tasmin has been living with epilepsy her whole life. The kind of epilepsy that is resistant to treatment and is incurable. While her sister, Chelsea was diagnosed with Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME) when she was 13. Today, Chelsea lives in New York and is a DJ and activities plus she has been seizure free for 7 years all thanks to medical cannabis while Tasmin who is five years older, lives in the UK under full time care of the NHS and can have up to 70 seizures a day.
The sad part is Tasmin’s doctors have refused to prescribe medical cannabis for treatment claiming that it would be unethical despite scientific evidence that shows cannabis like CBD and THC can have a positive effect on epilepsy.
To read more about how CBD can help with seizures and epilepsy click here.
Chelsea and her all women team have released a documentary film, Sisters Interrupted that was first screened at the Raindance Film Festival. The film documents the fight for access to medical cannabis in the NHS and at the sametime showcasing the love and bond between two sisters.
The social injustice in fair medical treatment availability is the main highlight of the film. Tasmin's epilepsy has become so unmanageable that she has to remain and live in full time care of the NHS. Both sisters suffered from the side effects of epilepsy medications which can disrupt one's quality of life. In Tasmin's case the medications were not responding to her conditions which left her no choice, but to be under full-care at the hospital. Chelsea on the underhand took control of the matter and started experimenting with medical cannabis to manage the seizures.
Living with epilepsy is challenging and if your body does not respond to medication then the symptoms can completely take over your life limiting what you can do. Living with epilepsy can stop you from being able to have a normal healthy lifestyle. Because of medical cannabis like CBD, Chelsea is able to have a normal life, but it's a different story for her elder sister, Tasmin. Tasmin has brain damage to the frontal lobe due to countless trauma from the seizures. She can experience 70 seizures a day and is often hospitalized at least once or twice a year. Everytime she is hospitalized her family becomes fearful that they would lose her. She is unable to bathe or dress herself and takes a lot of medication. It is clear that she is suffering from her condition and it could be because she has been denied the access of medical cannabis treatment.
Chelsea started using Full Spectrum CBD and she admitted that she started feeling a positive effect with epilepsy and general health. She said that full spectrum CBD started helping her manage anxiety as living with seizures and epilepsy it is inevitable that you will experience anxiety. It has also improved her sleep and insomnia. She could think more clearly and had a healthier cognitive response.
After using CBD for 6 months she decided to gradually stop taking her anticonvulsant medication under the supervision of her medical provider. It has been seven and half years now that she has never touched anticonvulsant medication. Because of the positive impact cannabis had on her, she started advocating for medical cannabis. She said cannabis has saved her life and she wants everyone to have access to the therapeutic properties of cannabis.
She felt unjust that she was able to enjoy the positive effects of CBD while her sister has been denied access from the NHS. It does not make any sense to her.
Naively, she thought since the legislation has been changed it would make medical cannabis more accessible in the UK, but the NHS has still not changed its attitude towards medical cannabis even though there has been numerous research showing that CBD can have positive impacts on conditions and illnesses. As of now the NHS has not added medical cannabis as a treatment for ailments. Chelsea will continue to fight for her sister, Tasmin and she continues advocating for everyone to have a right to choose their own treatment.
At Mellow Organic we too believe in the access of medical cannabis. Cannabis like CBD and THC should be made available for people to improve their health and to help them fight with their personal illness whether that be regular headaches, migraines, chronic pain, arthritis, muscle soreness, insomnia, sleeplessness, fatigue, depression, anxiety or other mental disorder. We believe CBD can have a positive effect in your life. We also believe in choosing the best and safest product to promote good health. We also recommend discussing using CBD with your doctor to come up with a good medical treatment plan.
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Mellow Full Spectrum CBD Oil with 1,800 mg and comes with loads of therapeutic benefits from cannabinoid including THC, CBG, CBN, THCa, CBDa, terpenes, flavonoids and fatty acids. Available in a 30 ml bottle.
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Written by Vivek Roachthavilit
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