Family and friends mourn death of teen who inspired families to explore cannabis for seizures
The death of 15-year-old Mia Wilkinson has rocked her family and friends, the teen girl passed away suddenly on Aug. 12.
“It really hits home and it's gut wrenching,” said Kendra Myhre, a long-time friend of the family.
“I am so upset and hurt and devastated.”
Mia was diagnosed with Ohtahara syndrome when she was a baby, which causes her to have severe seizures and sometimes she could have up to 100 episodes every day. When Mia was about seven years old, her mom Sarah explored cannabis oil and it changed Mia’s life.
Since then, Sarah has worked to educate and counsel other families about the benefits of cannabis for children who suffer from severe seizures.
Myhre’s son was diagnosed with Dravet Syndrome and he suffered a similar plight as Mia.
“We reached out to Sarah and she helped us out,” said Myhre. “The first time we gave him cannabis oil was the first time he went 24 hours without a seizure.”
Myhre says Mia’s death has impacted others like her who look at Mia and Sarah as pioneers around cannabis as medication for seizures in children.
“Mia and Sarah have chipped way on this beaten down road and laid this paved ground for other parents and families to find alternatives for their children that work,” said Myhre.
The community has come together and create a GoFundMe page to help the family out with funeral expenses.
The link can be found here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.