A happy Alex, yet another interview, and other updates

First, since surgery, Alex has been doing really well. This should not be the case from everything we’ve learned about the SEGA (the growth in his brain they removed), but we’re not going to complain. We’ve been told by doctors that the surgery wouldn’t likely help him long-term, and based on when the SEGA first showed up and when Alex’s behaviors hit, it definitely seems unlikely the SEGA was to blame for his self-injury, but who knows?

Of course, he’s still having to be wrapped up all the time. The video I posted recently still shows a more easygoing version of Alex than what we’re seeing lately. He’s super happy, but seems to need his security items a lot more.

We’ve also done another interview, this time for a TV station in Eugene. Honestly, it didn’t give us as good a vibe as the interview for KPTV, but I am not sure why. Maybe too much recent stress, maybe the weirdness of Alex’s recent mood, maybe the fact that, until Alex recovers, everything just feels a bit less stable than usual. I just hope they can do a good job editing so we don’t look as weird as we felt.

There’s another interview coming up that I’m excited about. It isn’t with a mainstream media outlet, so it’s more of a “preaching to the choir” situation, but it’s with somebody I’ve wanted to speak with since 2010 sometime. More on that when it’s done.

Speaking of mainstream media, they seem disinterested in the story now. They want something super sensational, and we just don’t have it. Alex isn’t cured, cannabis hasn’t brought him home, we’re not users ourselves, and so on. There’s nothing that really pisses anybody off when they see Alex’s situation. The KPTV poll showed that 95% of those who watched the story agreed that in Alex’s case, using cannabis was something the viewer considered a good idea. I think CNN and others were hoping for something more controversial, or they wanted to hear us make an outlandish claim or something. When they hear us tell them the simple facts, they stop showing interest. Cannabis helps Alex, and by a noticeable amount, but that’s all it does. We’re hoping with the right strain and regular dosing, it’ll help more. It’s absolutely ridiculous that he can’t get it regularly. That’s all there is to it.

Important action item!: Support the new measure to end federal prohibition! Visit that link, click “Support”, put in some basic information, and your elected member of congress will be notified that you support HR 499. (Obviously this is only good for U.S. citizens) The more support it gets, the more pressure congress will have to act. As far as I can tell, this bill does not legalize cannabis – it simply takes the federal government out of the role of enforcement, giving them the same general power they currently have over alcohol. This isn’t ideal, but it leaves it to states to decide what to do about cannabis. In Oregon, we’d be able to get a real prescription for Alex. In Oklahoma, they could keep it completely illegal for however long they liked. In Colorado and Washington, licensed stores could sell it to adults without fear of federal intervention.

I’ll try to keep updates coming, but things are very busy 🙁