Yes, I’m definitely done

There’s not been a lot to say lately, hence the lack of posts. I just don’t have the time or energy to keep up here. I’ll be shutting down commenting today, though the contact form may remain up for a while since I still get occasional questions from people in tough situations like ours.

Alex’s situation hasn’t changed a lot since his return from KKI. We’ve stopped with the cannabis tinctures despite having a wonderful donor (TJ’s Organic Gardens), because we just couldn’t figure out what he needs. We’ve found that while our initial struggles were lack of knowledge and supply, our struggle now is figuring out how it’s actually affecting Alex. His inability to communicate has always made medications difficult, but in the case of cannabis, this country’s bullshit paranoia has made research so spotty that it’s 100% up to the parents to guess at dosage, strain, etc.

So it’s with a lot of frustration that we decided it wasn’t worth the trouble to keep trying. While we still believe in cannabis, it’s just not going to work for Alex until there’s a lot more research and understanding of which components (THC, THCa, CBD, CBN, etc.) are best for different ailments. And as long as that’s the case, we just have no choice but to watch the idiot lawmakers keep screwing up the rules instead of making smart, compassionate decisions.

Response to Jim Carrey’s use of Alex’s picture

Statement by Karen and Jeremy about misuse of Alex’s picture:

Alex’s story, and in particular the picture Jim Carrey used is not about vaccine safety. It is a story of extreme autism and self-injurious behaviors. It is a story about TSC (Tuberous Sclerosis Complex) and its association with autism. Alex safely received his vaccinations — his genetic disorder was present at birth.

We believe that families who are struggling with extreme autism and severe problem behaviors need more help, in their own communities, than they are currently receiving – gaining access to highly sophisticated Applied Behavior Analysis such as what Alex was provided at Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Neurobehavioral Unit at Johns Hopkins, gaining access to mental health providers trained in highly complex cases such as Alex’s, and providing more options and resources in local communities to those families who are no longer able to care for their loved ones in their own homes. We also believe that the medical community at large needs to look more closely at the potential for medical marijuana in treating these severe behaviors.

There is hope for individuals suffering from severe problem behaviors who have autism (and/or a developmental disability), however, many families have given up hope due to lack of resources.

We feel Mr Carrey was irresponsible in using our son’s image to further his agenda, and feel he should issue an apology for using our son’s image without permission. If Mr. Carrey’s image was used this way, legal action would almost certainly be taken.

We’re not happy that Mr. Carrey used our son’s picture, but we are happy to use this attention to spread the word about our son’s actual struggles.

Quick update – Alex has oils again!

We got Alex’s OMMP card recently, and we now have a donor (TJ’s Organic Gardens), so we’re able to give Alex a blend of high-CBD and high-THC oils, mixed to whatever ratio we think will work best. We’re not sure how much he needs or what ratio, so it’s still a bit of a guessing game (TJ’s has been giving us pointers), but we’re back to being able to dose him again, which is obviously very important. And we can dose him TWICE a day since he’s so close to us. In practice, we’ll probably miss a dose here and there, which sucks, but so far we’ve hit a lot more two-dose days than not.

In other news, the U.S. Senate is considering a bill to reschedule cannabis. Please support the Carer’s Act so that kids like Alex can get cannabis without jumping through absurd hoops. (For instance, if we go on vacation, nobody is legally allowed to dose him)

Why 2015 could be Alex’s best year

I touched a little on it recently, but Alex’s new home’s upper management seem to be significantly more concerned about doing what’s best for Alex than his last home. This is just one of many reasons I’m thinking this year could be the first one where things really start looking up. Continue reading “Why 2015 could be Alex’s best year”

Post-KKI Alex

[ I apologize for the lack of contact, I’m actually at work right now delaying my “clock-in” time, so to speak, in order to write something up – it’s been a crazy, crazy couple of years ]

Initially, Alex went to a “crisis home” in Salem (I think that’s what it was called). It was okay, but they never really got a handle on his behaviors. The state shuffled him off to Creswell before he was stable in our opinion, though we couldn’t fault them really — we, his parents, never did, either. Nor did various doctors, medications, etc.

But the Creswell home is where things went downhill. It seemed like the goal was to figure out the cheapest way to keep Alex alive, as opposed to figuring out how to keep him engaged and keep his mind working. Continue reading “Post-KKI Alex”

Vote yes on Oregon measure 91

Alex visits are extremely draining when he’s almost three hours away (round trip). As such, I won’t be posting a lot about him unless there are major changes. But I figured our ballot measure is worth at least a quick mention.

A few weeks ago, New Approach Oregon got their cannabis legalization initiative on the ballot. It will be measure 91 on the ballot in November. Continue reading “Vote yes on Oregon measure 91”

Alex is cannabis-free in Baltimore

Well, after a lot of fighting we got Alex to the Kennedy Krieger Institute. It was a ridiculous battle, and shame on Providence for trying to deny somebody as obviously in need as Alex. Their initial denial was flimsy at best, claiming various administrative errors. We appealed and they denied with much more coherent (but still ridiculous) reasons. Continue reading “Alex is cannabis-free in Baltimore”

Updates – KKI, hash oil, and general news

I’d like to say first and foremost that we wanted to thank all of our supporters. in the past few months, even with very few updates from us, we have received tons of emails and Facebook messages supporting us and our cause. The responses and emails about my recent blog post, “I think I’m done”, have been extraordinary. To answer the most common concern I’ve seen: no, we’re not giving up on cannabis — we’re just not writing updates as often. Continue reading “Updates – KKI, hash oil, and general news”

I think I’m done

After stating the blog would go on, I haven’t touched it.

Partly I don’t feel like putting up more because I’m satisfied that Alex’s story was able to really be told. Partly I feel like the updates aren’t helpful since it’s just repetitive information – Alex is happy, now he’s unhappy, now he’s happy, and so forth.

But honestly, a lot of why I’m done has to do with Alex’s situation just not being one that makes for good updates. Continue reading “I think I’m done”