Dalton mom: Cannabis oil saved her daughter
standing on her knees, playing with rattles and moving toward someone when they call her name.
“It’s like getting to know your child for the first time,” says Gilley. “She’s not drugged up or having around-the-clock seizures, so her personality is coming out and you finally get to really meet her.”
The Gilleys are on a list of individuals approved for the purchase of cannabis oil in Georgia, but they cannot buy the oil in the state, because it’s against the law. “We order it online,” says Gilley. “It’s not covered by insurance, so it’s out-of-pocket for us. It would help if we could buy it locally instead of always having to plan ahead to allow for delivery time. Sometimes money is tight and you try to wait until you absolutely need something to buy it.”
Gilley says that concerns that have been expressed by local law enforcement about the legalization of producing and dispensing cannabis oil are exaggerated or misplaced.
“Cannabis oil has changed Zoe’s life,” says Gilley. Gilley says Zoe has a therapist who comes to the house and works with her on a computer using a program called Eagle Eyes. A camera is used to take a picture of Zoe’s eyes and allow her to use them as a cursor on the screen.
“Zoe has learned she can interact with the program and make choices. Sometimes she’ll focus on that little red ‘x’ in the upper right corner of the screen and close it down. She’s gone from living in a vegetative state most of her life to being able to make decisions and act on them.”
Tamara Wolk is a reporter for The Catoosa County News in Ringgold, Ga., and Walker County Messenger in LaFayette, Ga.