The mother of an eight-year-old girl who suffers from a debilitating epilepsy syndrome has spoken of how medical marijuana has helped dramatically cut down her seizures.
Sarah Wilkinson, from Calgary in Canada, described how “absolutely terrifying” it was to witness her daughter Mia suffer her first seizure just 29 minutes after she was born.
Doctors said Mia was born with an extremely rare and terminal form of epilepsy known as Ohtahara syndrome. Symptoms include seizures and spasms which occur in the first few days of life.
The mortality rate is very high, with many children diagnosed with the condition dying within the first few years. Ivan Cameron, prime minister David Cameron’s son, died in 2009 aged six having been born with the condition as well as Cerebral Palsy.
Wilkinson said she was “thrust into the world of seizure disorders” following the birth of Mia, with her daughter suffering as many as 100 seizures a day.
