The little girl who turned the world on to the powers of CBD has died. Thirteen-year-old Charlotte Figi passed away at home in Colorado on April 7.
"Charlotte is no longer suffering," a friend of Charlotte's parents posted at Facebook. "She is seizure-free forever."
Figi suffered from Dravet's Syndrome, a form of epilepsy, since she was just three months old. Before her parents put her on a CBD regimen, she experienced countless seizures. CBD reduced the seizures and alllowed Paige and Matt Figi to get her off pharmaceutical drugs.
Paige explained what happened to Charlotte on Facebook: "Our entire family had been ill for close to a month, starting early March, but did not initially fit all of the criteria for COVID-19 testing. For that reason we were told to self-treat at home unless the symptoms worsened. Charlotte's symptoms worsened, so she was admitted to the PICU (at Children's Hospital Colorado in Colorado Springs) on April 3. She was treated on the COVID-19 designated floor using all the medical protocols set in place. On Friday, April 3 she was tested, the results were negative for Covid-19 and discharged on April 5 when she seemingly began to improve. Charlotte had a seizure in the early morning on April 7 resulting in respiratory failure and cardiac arrest."
Beginning in 2013, Dr. Sanjay Gupta told the Figis' story in a series of Weed specials on CNN that dramatized how medical marijuana could help even our youngest patients.
Figi was five when her parents started administering CBD oil. Gupta pronounced on the show, "The results are shocking." The seizures had stopped.
Paige reached out to the Stanley Brothers, who were growing high-CBD plants. Charlotte started using their oil in 2012. Their company CW Hemp eventually named a strain - Charlotte's Web - after her.
Last year, Gupta revisited the Figis in his fifth Weed program.
"Charlotte changed the world," he notes in his own personal remembrance. "She certainly changed my world and my mind. She opened my eyes to the possibility of cannabis being a legitimate medicine. She showed me that it worked to stop her crippling seizures, and that it was the only thing that worked. She was proof that withholding a medication, even one that comes in the form of a plant, would be as much a moral failing as a medical one."
Reaction in the cannabis commuty to Figi's death was swift and emotional.
Our thoughts go out to the family of Charlotte Figi. This little lady opened the worlds eyes to the benefits of cannabis, changing perceptions globally. Thank you for your strength and the incredible impact that you’ve had. You will forever be remembered as a #cannabiswarrior ???? pic.twitter.com/hW3NqivZqy
— United Patients Alliance (@UPAllianceuk) April 8, 2020
RIP little angel! ????Charlotte and her family helped pave the way for cbd to be used as treatment for epilepsy. This breaks my heart. She was only 13 #CharlottesWeb #CharlotteFigi pic.twitter.com/5u2qNyNzlD
— Amy Anonymous™ ???? (@TheAmyAnonymous) April 8, 2020
It is with a heavy heart that we write to let you know that Charlotte Figi passed away this afternoon from COVID-19 complications. Charlotte's story directly impacted thousands of families across the globe and has… https://t.co/WLXttHn57Y
— Realm of Caring (@realmofcaring) April 8, 2020
Its with a heavy heart we have to say good bye to one of our lil warrior's who brought peace and hope to many with #epilepsyhttps://t.co/VBvRooAmqJ
— jennifer atkinson (@420ncpwall) April 8, 2020
