Best visit ever, bad news, good news

Best visit ever!!

We saw Alex this weekend, and it was by far our best visit ever. He’s happier than he’s been in a very long time. He only had one really serious meltdown, and it lasted only about ten minutes or so. And to be fair, it was my fault for trying to take him on a carousel ride “one more time” when I should have known better. Continue reading “Best visit ever, bad news, good news”

First interview!

I talked to a reporter today, after being contacted a little while ago and playing email tag for a bit. Who knows if anything will come of it, but he at least finds the story pretty interesting. In CA, where the MMJ laws are more relaxed, a story like this isn’t as rare. But here, our laws are a bit too strict for a child who only has the rage – which means others with similar issues may be having to break the law to help their children. Obviously in those cases, they’re not going to come forward and alert the media.

Here’s hoping we can get a story somewhere that shows people just how powerful medical marijuana can be for children whose only alternatives are to beat themselves silly or else take medications with serious, risky, and well-known long-term dangers.

Happy videos posted

Not much to say – check out the video section, and you’ll find a new video with clips that actually make you feel hopeful instead of depressed. These are clips from two of his really good marijuana doses, where he was doing things that are really important to learning – exploring with his hands, and verbalizing “ba ba” and “ma ma” sounds. Continue reading “Happy videos posted”

Videos added

I’ve just uploaded a video containing clips of some of the most difficult self-abuse Alex has ever had – just click on “Video” in the upper-right – or click here.

The first clip is when Alex was around 3 or 4 and first began his self-injurious behaviors. It’s actually pretty tame when you see what comes afterward, but it just tears my heart in two to watch, because he’s so little there, and back then we still got to see his happy times far more often than the sad. Continue reading “Videos added”

Autism, marijuana, and the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act

Read Alex’s Story before this if you want to know who we’re talking about here. A quick summary, though:

  • Alex is a child with autism, seizures, and severe self-injurious behaviors
  • We’ve tried many medications and talked to several specialists over the past several years, all with no luck
  • Marijuana, approved in Oregon for his seizures, proved to calm Alex while also making him more engaged in the world around him
  • We couldn’t keep a steady supply of marijuana, and Alex no longer can live with us
  • His new state-run home will not give him marijuana even if we find a supply
  • His behaviors are once again getting bad, and they’ve had to use physical restraints multiple times to keep Alex safe
  • Our life is a living hell right now Continue reading “Autism, marijuana, and the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act”

The worst is yet to come

We heard that Alex wasn’t doing well at his new home, and went to visit him last weekend. It was nothing short of a nightmare. He’s having the roughest time I’ve seen since he left us. We brought up some hash, which he took happily, and the first night we were there (Friday), it put him to sleep for 13 hours. This is a good thing, as he hadn’t slept at all the prior night. Continue reading “The worst is yet to come”

Marijuana, autism, and failure: a true story

Please read our agenda — a lot has changed since I wrote up this introductory article

So many people lately seem to be coming forward with these amazing stories of how marijuana helped their autistic child. I’m truly happy for these people, but they’re only telling one side of the story. They succeeded. For whatever reasons, their endeavor paid off and made their lives better.

We don’t have this kind of success story to tell, and I think that’s exactly why our story needs to be heard. Continue reading “Marijuana, autism, and failure: a true story”