Louise’s Story

It was a warm spring day in April when Louise celebrated her 79th birthday at home, surrounded by her four children, their spouses, and nine grandchildren. She raised her children there in the home she shared with her husband for 48 years, until his death. It was there that Louise brought everyone together to entertain, to share food and wine and companionship. The home, like Louise, was at the center of her family and it was there with her family that she was happiest. And on that day they all shared joy and love, and celebrated a life well lived. Six weeks later Louise was gone.

For Monica, Louise’s eldest child, the pain is still fresh. When she talks about her mother you can hear the combination of love and loss in her voice. She never gave up hope that her mother would beat the cancer that eventually took her – after all Louise beat cancer twice before. Despite the loss Monica is still grateful that her mother’s last days were at home, surrounded by loved ones. She credits this to Louise’s use of medical cannabis.

“She wasn’t on it for that long,” says Monica, “but the time she was on it did wonders.”.........

Source/more:  https://www.cannimed.ca/blogs/blog/louises-story?utm_source=customerservice&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2-9-16_Louise

Backlog of applications for veterans benefits still greater than 11,500

Veterans Affairs benefits logjam 'makes my argument' for reform, says military ombudsman

"I think it's patently cruel to force veterans to have to prove over and over again to Veterans Affairs medical doctors something they have proven to Canadian Forces medical doctors," he said.

Source/more:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/veterans-benefits-backlog-1.3781470

Christina’s Story – Breaking Free from the Cycle of Pain

Pain. It can break the strongest of us. Sometimes it is sudden and sharp, cracking like thunder, sending bolts of electric agony through us. Other times it might roll in like a fog, slowly enveloping and separating us from the world until it is our new normal. Pain can suck the joy out of life, if you let it. Christina Evans knows all-too-well about pain, but she chose to do something about it and changed her life for the better.

Christina’s story begins in 2006 when she started to experience neck pain on a regular basis. Usually the discomfort would last about a week, and then life would return to normal. Over the course of the next three years it began happening more often, and soon things began to get worse. Her limbs alternated between numbness and pain, she endured two pregnancies made difficult by her mysterious condition, and was forced to wear wrist braces just to do simple tasks. Then one day she woke to find the entire left side of her body numb, and what wasn’t numb was radiating with intense pain. An emergency MRI was ordered and Christina finally discovered the cause of all her pain: syringomyelia.

Syringomyelia is a very rare disease in which a cyst forms within your spinal cord. As the cyst grows over time it compresses and damages the spinal cord, causing pain, weakness, numbness, migraines, bowel control issues, difficultly with speaking and swallowing, paralysis and more. Some cases of syringomyelia are treatable, usually with surgery, but not Christina’s.

Without a cure, with the cyst growing and her pain increasing, Christina struggled to live a normal life. She couldn’t work, could barely parent and was considering going on disability. She lived in constant pain and a drug-induced haze........

Source/more: https://www.cannimed.ca/blogs/blog/117520965-christina-s-story-breaking-free-from-the-cycle-of-pain