Brave and Flourishing

Brave and Flourishing

Cannabis Aids in the Battle Against Young Mykayla’s Struggle to Live

By: Jamie Solis

Memories of childhood should be of playing games in the neighborhood and living an overall carefree life. However, when young Mykayla from Pendleton, Oregon was diagnosed with T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on July 14, 2012, doctors were sure that her little life would face more hardships than happy moments. Thankfully, her parents Erin Purchase and Brandon Krenzler have turned to medical cannabis to ensure Mykayla enjoys a healthy and lighthearted life.

After the discovery that Mykayla had this extremely rare and aggressive form of childhood cancer, it was apparent that an equally aggressive medical treatment of chemotherapy and steroid induction therapy would be necessary. Mykayla immediately faced horrible side effects after starting her regimen, which included deep tissue and muscle pain, intense nausea, alopecia, immune deficiency, lack of appetite, peripheral neuropathy, depression and more. Mykayla’s parents did not hesitate in obtaining her recommendation to use medical cannabis, which resulted in alleviating virtually all of Mykayla’s symptoms. This success has given them the upmost confidence in their decision; “We made the choice to use cannabis with our daughter, and we feel it has been the best choice in her treatment that has ever been made,” Krenzler said.

Erin and Brandon are very upfront and honest about the multitude of cannabis forms that their now eight-year-old daughter ingests on a daily basis. They juice cannabis flowers and leaves off plants from their garden, which yields an abundance of high cannabidiol (CBD) juice. Every day she uses full extract cannabis oil and liberal amounts of topical creams for pain relief and anti-inflammation. Mykayla enjoys an array of sweet edibles—what child wouldn’t like a cereal treat or brownie? Her parents also prepare her meals using cannabis infused olive oil, butter or honey.

With psychoactive and non-psychoactive forms of cannabis dominating the market, there is stronger opposition against providing children with psychoactive forms of cannabis. However, considering the fact that cannabis is being utilized by children who have been recommended the plant by their physician for medicinal purposes, the psychoactive properties should be embraced. The only alternatives children have to cannabis are pharmaceutical drugs that also bear psychoactive properties. These drugs, such as oxycontin, hydrocodone, morphine, etc. are also known for their harmful and negative side effects, as well as having a risk of overdose. While some forms of medical cannabis have psychoactive properties, they are without life-threatening side effects.

Brandon and Erin encourage parents to trust their instincts in treating their sick children, and to be unafraid in advocating for what is right to treat their child’s ailments. “We recommend to all parents with children suffering from debilitating conditions that they should consider cannabis as a treatment option, and we feel that it should be offered as a first line treatment for many conditions that children suffer today. We proactively advocate for the parents’ right to choose cannabis as a medicine for their child,” Krenzler said. After all, it is a common notion that mother knows best—maybe it’s time to listen.
To learn more about Brave Mykayla visit her website: www.bravemykayla.com or follow her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/bravemykayla.

THC vs. CBD

The full extract cannabis oil Mykayla uses is high in THC, which is the psychoactive component of cannabis. Brandon explains why they are confident in giving their daughter this specific form of cannabis, “We are unafraid of the psycho-activity inherent in the cannabis plant, because we believe that a positive state of mind is essential during cancer treatments. The psychoactive properties deliver a ‘high’ that is very euphoric. This euphoria creates a sense of general well-being that promotes an overall positive state of mind.” This allows Mykayla to lead a happier life, and because she has built up a tolerance to the THC, it does not debilitate her, but rather compliments her lifestyle as a healthy and active child.

Originally Published by Culture Magazine on Jan. 2, 2014: http://ireadculture.com/article-3273-brave-and-flourishing.html