Grace: one year after starting treatment with Cannabidiol oil

One year after Graciela Elizalde Benavides, who goes by Grace, started using Cannabidiol oil to treat her rare condition of drug-resistant epilepsy, her mother, Mayela Benavides, says that thanks to the controversial treatment her daughter is now more alert, her number of seizures are significantly down and she can now play on the floor freely without her parents fearing that she might injure herself.

In the Facebook page “Por Grace,” Ms. Benavides shared her joy: “I remember one year ago we couldn't sleep because we were so worried about what would happen to Grace after starting her treatment with Medical Marijuana, it was something that was completely new but that we were eager to try for some time!”

“Today marks not only the first year since she started her treatment, but also the year in which her life changed, as well as ours… She's now a little girl who's more aware of her surroundings and who can even interact with her own sister.”

She said that Grace's condition has improved and she can play on the floor without fear of her getting injured. She's always smiling and loves kisses, she's eager to walk and climb stairs, with help of course, and even complains when she doesn't like something

“I would like to thank God for this opportunity he has given us to provide a better life for our daughter and to be able share her story with so many people who've shown us nothing but support and are so happy to see the positive results. Thank you everyone who've helped make this happen,” she concluded.

The young girl started taking Cannabidiol oil on October 20, 2015 as an alternative treatment for her over 400 episodes of convulsions per day.

However, the treatment at the time had not yet been legalized in Mexico, so her family had to hire several lawyers and file several lawsuits in order to be authorized to use the medical marijuana. After only five weeks of treatment, the child's family reported a dramatic decrease in her seizures of around 40%, and in that short period of time her episodes decreased from between seven and eight minutes to about three and four.