While waiting outside the Greene County courthouse Wednesday morning, little Ayden Markum had a cluster of five seizures. The 3-year-old has intractable epilepsy and cerebral palsy.
Ashley Markum comforted her son, letting him know that she was there. She then pushed his wheelchair in circles to soothe him. Ayden seemed to enjoy the warm breeze hitting his face.
The Markums have traveled twice to Colorado, where medical marijuana is legal. There, they were able to purchase cannabis oil, or CBD oil, and gave it to Ayden via his feeding tube.
"He smiled and laughed for the first time. He attempted to hold his head up and attempted to do different things," Ashley recalled. "It was awesome. Everyone was crying."
While being treated with cannabis oil, Ayden's seizures decreased by half, Ashley said. The cannabis oil product they used does not create a high.
The Markums, along with a retired doctor and a medical marijuana advocate, were at the courthouse to deliver a letter to Prosecutor Dan Patterson. The letter expressed disappointment in Patterson for joining a lawsuit to keep the medical cannabis initiative petition off the November ballot.
