Pubdate: Tue, 06 May 2014
Source: Morrison County Record, The (MN)
Website: http://mcrecord.com/
Contact:  2014 Morrison County Record
Author: Tina Snell

MEDICAL MARIJUANA ISSUE HITS CLOSE TO HOME

Local family moves to Colorado to help their daughter

Minnesota is currently in the throes of the medical marijuana issue.
Monday, a proposal allowing marijuana to be used for different
ailments in the state was approved by the Senate Finance Committee
14-7. The next steps include a vote of the full Senate and then the
House.

If the law passes, Minnesota will be the 22nd state to protect medical
marijuana users.

One family is watching the process carefully. Jason and Marie Jay
recently moved from Fort Ripley to Colorado to have access to medical
marijuana for their daughter, Jenna.

Jenna, an 8-year-old twin, has intractable epilepsy, a disorder in
which the seizures are not being controlled by medication. Her
epilepsy is due to a brain malformation which occurred before she was
born.

"Her clinical diagnosis is subcortical band heterotopia (abnormal
brain development) and pachygyria (a condition due to abnormal
migration of nerve cells in the developing brain and nervous system),"
said Jenna's mother, Marie. "We first noticed some developmental
delays when Jenna was about 3 months old and she wasn't meeting her
expected milestones."

The Jays' pediatrician told them that since she was premature, they
could expect some delays and to just keep an eye on her.

"At her sixth-month appointment, we knew something was wrong when she
was significantly behind her twin," said Marie. "We were referred to
the Gillette Children's Hospital in St. Paul. A pediatric neurologist
ran some tests and learned Jenna had a very large band of grey matter
around her brain. We were told it was like a birthmark, so it wouldn't
get better, but it would not increase in thickness, either."

That's when the Jays were told Jenna would have seizures, that she may
not be able to walk and could possibly have very significant physical
disabilities.

"When Jenna was 18 months old, she had her first seizure and we put
her on her first pharmaceutical," said Marie.

As the years progressed, Jenna's seizures increased in number and
intensity. Her care was transferred to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

"They took great care of us, but we didn't make a lot of progress at
all. Jenna failed more than 20 pharmaceuticals, a Vagus Nerve
Stimulator surgery (a device used to treat epilepsy patients whose
medications are not effective) and a low glycemic diet," said Marie.

Jenna was receiving more than 14 pills each day. The family watched as
the effects of the drugs took over her life which included headaches,
stomachaches, dizziness, fatigue, irritability, constant kidney and
bladder infections and other possible damage to her organs.

"All this without any control of her seizures were more than we could
handle," said Marie. "When we heard about a CNN special regarding
medical cannabis, we were intrigued. It was like the glimmer of hope
we had been looking for."

Jenna was having a variety of seizures: grand mal, partial complex,
absence and atonic or drop seizures. She experienced more than 300 per
month and many required CPR. She almost lost her life several times.

"One of our fears would be that her life would be taken way too soon,"
said Marie.

In October 2013, the family made their first trip to Colorado and met
with members of the Realm of Caring Foundation, an organization which
helps families who are relocating to Colorado.

Jenna saw two physicians there and both agreed she would be a great
candidate for medical cannabis.

In order for a child to receive the drug in Colorado, they must be a
resident and have two doctors sign froms stating its use is a medical
necessity. Many pages of paperwork need to be completed and sent to
the state. If accepted, a red card is issued allowing one to purchase
the marijuana.

"We had no idea if it would work or if we would lose everything, but
it was worth a try to save our daughter," said Marie. To Marie and
Jason, it seemed the option seemed safer than any medications,
surgeries or diets they had already subjected Jenna to.

"Jason and I sat down and had many sleepless nights, but knew God had
this plan for us. So we put our house up for sale and within two
months we were packing up our family to move to Colorado," said Marie.
"We both quit the jobs we truly enjoyed, took our kids out of their
schools and we left behind family and friends. It was by far the
scariest decision of our lives."

When the Jays got to Colorado, they learned that Charlotte's Web, a
strain of medical marijuana processed into an extract with a high
cannabidiol content and low in the component which gets most people
high, was not available as promised and wouldn't be until October
2015. They were crushed.

But then they found out that THC-A, comparable to Charlotte's Web, was
available.

"Medical cannabis comes in oil form and without the ability to get
high," said Marie.

Other ways medical cannabis is administered is through vaporizers
which gently heats up cannabis, releasing fewer of the harmful
components which comes from smoking. Another way is by eating which is
slow to kick in and slow to wear off, better for those with chronic
pain. It can also be made into teas, tinctures or salves.

"Now that Jenna has started medical marijuana, her seizures have been
reduced to 50-75 a month," said Marie. "She is off seven of her pills
and is feeling great. She is less lethargic, happier, more coherent
and developing a personality that we have never seen before. It is
like meeting our daughter for the first time. We know without a doubt
that we made the right choice and we are slowly getting our daughter
back."

The Jays plan to stay in Colorado for the time being, but would
eventually like to return to Minnesota.

"We are hoping Minnesota will legalize medical cannabis so others who
are suffering can have a chance at a happy, healthy life like Jenna is
just starting to experience," said Marie.

The Jays stressed that recreational marijuana is on a whole different
spectrum from medical marijuana and the two should not be confused.
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