Parents share vision of daughter's deadly seizure in push for legalised cannabis
Two parents have shared footage of their daughter’s potentially deadly seizure in a desperate push to legalise medicinal cannabis.
Ava Twomey, 6, can endure as many as 20 horrifying fits a day as a result of her drug-resistant form of epilepsy known as Dravet Syndrome.
After years of failed medication, her condition finally improved as a result of a cannabidiol treatment known as Charlotte’s Web.
“We have to get help for her now. When she goes into a seizure you don't know what way she's going to be when she comes out," Ava's mother said.
“The HSE (Irish Health Service) said they would look towards Ava's application for medicinal cannabis as a priority. But their sense of urgency and our sense of it are not meeting up at all."
Ava’s seizures are so intense, her parents are now desperately trying to access other cannabis-based medicine including cannabis oil before it’s too late.
"They just need to allow this child the medication that she needs because what we have isn't working and I have nothing else to give her,” her mother added.
Ireland has maintained a strong stance on medicinal cannabis for sometime, however the Twomey family are set to meet Irish health minister, Simon Harris, in Dublin on Friday to discuss a potential solution.
Meanwhile in Australia, the Federal Government has given the green light for approved companies to legally import, store and sell cannabis until domestic production meets local needs.
It's expected Australia will have a continuous supply of medicinal cannabis within eight weeks.
Health Minister Greg Hunt says those with profound conditions or palliative care needs will instead be able to access safe, high-quality and appropriately-obtained medication within days.
"It is time that they have the care that they need, the drugs that are prescribed by medical professionals, and that they are actually available," he told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday.
