Is there a time in your life you have bumped into someone whose presence gave you much to think about, but in a positive way? Meeting grace was one amazing experience.
Meeting Grace
It was on a Friday night and my partner and I saw it fit to have some few drinks following our dinner. Grace was in the company of some of our pals, and that is how we bumped into each other. Few minutes in conversation, it felt as if I had known her for many years. She was easy and lovely to talk to. We had already made a connection with our simple chat. We stayed at the club much longer than we had planned.
We talked about what new found friends who talk about. She was worked at a restaurant and the job took most of her time. She was only 24 years of age but very focused in life.
At some point in our conversation, the subject of medical cannabis popped up. Grace was honest to tell us that she was suffering from a chronic condition (multiple sclerosis) and marijuana had really helped her. I was so interested in hearing about her story and we planned to meet up a week later. So, on a hot Friday afternoon, we had a sit up with Jane.
Diagnosis
At just the age of 16, Grace was diagnosed with Multiple sclerosis. She told me that her symptoms primarily started as vision problems. She was in a theater one day when she started seeing double. Her vision became blurred.
She got back home and her parents took her to an eye specialist, who immediately referred her to a neurologist based at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. After some tests were conducted, doctors believed they knew the cause of Grace’s predicament – multiple sclerosis. It was so scary for her. Her condition was diagnosed as one that affects the central nervous system (relapsing-remitting MS).
Getting relief
There is no known remedy for multiple sclerosis; however, there are treatments which are meant to minimize inflammation, slow the severity of the disease, and promote temporary healing. Grace tried a number of treatments which proved unfertile. There was a time she started using a concoction that that was administered once per month. Now, the cost was a bit on the high side. She told me that the costs amounted to about $12, 000 per visit. That translates to $144, 000 a year. Currently, Grace is covered by her parents’ insurance. However, she doesn’t know what will happen when she turns 26 and the parents’ cover cease covering her.
I asked Jane if she has heard about medical marijuana. Grace explained how she read and heard about medical cannabis while in high school. However, she is quick to add that she never had a chance to use it until she got in college.
Her reaction to the topic of medical marijuana is that using it before bed helps significantly in relaxing her muscles, which usually stiffens when she lays down to sleep. Though Grace has confirmed how beneficial marijuana is, she tells me that she doesn’t buy it as often as she could have wanted just because it is illegal in her state. Also, she can’t smoke freely when around her friends still because of the legality issues.
Facts about cannabis and Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
A lot of studies have been made about cannabis and its use in treating MS. The National MS Society agrees that there is a connection between marijuana and reduction of muscle spasms/pain/stiffness, as well as improved sleep for patients.
Most of the people who I have talked with and who suffer from chronic condition all have a single common wish: to get a chance to use a natural remedy that can help minimize their symptoms.
“If medical cannabis was decriminalized in all states, a lot of patients could be in a better shape,” Grace quickly adds.
Grace is very right. Legalization would be a beautiful thing for people like her and others who are suffering from chronic illnesses.
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