For this week’s Family Friday update, we’re excited to share that a small collection of ECHO Connection Families gathered together to help spread the word about the therapeutic effects of cannabinoids like cannabidiol (CBD).
Several of our families attended the 4th Annual Cannabis World Congress & Business Exposition (CWCBE), which arrived in Boston, Massachusetts this month. The two-day exposition features over 100 speakers and a bonus day of classes.
Three ECHO Families were among the panelists at the Expo’s “Patient and Caregiver” event at the John Hynes Convention Center on the morning of October 5, 2017. They each shared their personal stories of seeking the therapeutic effects of CBD hemp oil.
The ECHO Family members who were panelists include:
Casandra Stephan, mother of three-year-old Lillyann. Lillyann, having experienced a traumatic brain injury at seven months old, suffered from frequent severe seizures before CBD hemp oil helped provide relief. Having shown significant improvements, Lillyann was just recently able to start pre-Kindergarten.- Penny Howard, mother to Harper. Harper, born with a rare disease known as CDKL5, experienced frequent seizures starting at just two weeks old. With CBD hemp oil, Harper’s seizure frequency dropped from dozens a day down to 3 or 4, then eventually to none. At one point, Harper was seizure free for 45 days straight. Sadly, Harper passed last year. Penny, co-founder of Hope4Harper.com, continues to raise money for CDKL5 and epilepsy research and to build awareness for CBD hemp oil.
- Gina Caracciolo, the lead emergency room nurse at Stony Brook University Hospital when Beyla Pagano had to be rushed in after her first seizure at two years old. Beyla, now seven, was born dangerously premature and diagnosed with hydrocephalus. She suffered from devastating seizures, but for nearly three years has been able to ease her seizure symptoms with CBD hemp oil. Gina, who uses CBD herself to manage chronic pain, continues to have a close bond with Beyla and the Pagano family ever since that day.
- Raul Elizalde, father to nine-year-old Grace. Grace was diagnosed with a rare and severe form of childhood epilepsy called Lennox-Gastaut syndrome when she was very young. At one point Grace was experiencing up to 400 seizures everyday. Raul and his family were the first in Mexico to sue the federal government and win the right to import CBD hemp oil. Raul went on to start the non-profit Por Grace Foundation to ensure families in Mexico receive the right to healthcare and access to CBD hemp oil.
Joining the families on the panel was our own Andrea Barnes. Barnes, whose new role as ECHO Connection’s CEO and President was just announced in a press release earlier this week, spoke about how ECHO is providing support for special case families that count on cannabinoids.
Through ECHO’s Facebook page, you can stream a collection of Facebook Live videos of the panel.
CBD hemp oil, made from the stalk and seeds of low-THC, high-CBD hemp, is completely non-psychoactive. Among the benefits researchers have so far discovered about CBD is its capability to minimize and in some cases even eliminate seizure activity that had otherwise remained refractory to traditional treatments.
Learn more about our ECHO Families and the benefits of CBD hemp oil by visiting our education page. We also invite you to join our free ECHO Community, where you can connect directly with physicians and others who have used or are using cannabinoids for health purposes.
