Church Congregation Applauds Cannabis Recovery: Josiah’s Journey Continues

1 Shares

5 yr. old cannabis patient receives a standing ovation as he walks into the church. Parishioners asked his mom to give testimony on how nature worked for him:

“We haven’t been able to make it to church much due to all of the health issues and seizures”, explained Josiah’s mom Heather today, but she went on with a startling statement for most that feel people in church are too conservative for cannabis. “Everybody gave a cheer when we walked in nearly 40 minutes late, like they were waiting for us. As soon as we they were done singing I was asked to come up and tell his story!” His mom continued, “I was awe struck by the support, the happiness, and rejoicing and couldn’t believe the people of our church wanted to me to share his story” she was so elated to tell me this after a month of battling the seizures and changing his cannabinoid medicine protocol to not only stop them but also allow him to completely quit a pharmaceutical drug that wasn’t working. “Keep in mind this is the same church who supported me when I announced, almost 6 years ago, that I was going to become a mother through the adoption of an embryo which is how Josiah came to be my son” his mom exclaimed with joy today. As the world grasps at ways to treat health issues, replace pharmaceutical use, and find wellness in nature – the cannabis plant is stealing the spotlight. Nobody would have guessed that today it would do so in a church, but it did.

“I couldn’t believe it when they asked me to speak about this. His name actually means ‘God saves me and heals me in the biblical sense,” she explained to me, “the church has always loved him and known him well since he was a baby. He was ‘dedicated’ at the same church nearly 5 years ago.” We read about all types of cannabis recovery stories but this one really stands out as Josiah was facing an unknown future with seizures that kept him, his mom, and his nursing staff awake throughout the night in futile attempts to stop them. His mom, as conservative as she may be, reached for the plant – the hemp plant and started with CBD. Little did she or her cannabis doctor know – they picked out a cannabinoid that simply doesn’t get along with the one seizure medication he once took. After 30 days not only did his mom get to talk about how he’s not seizing – she got to talk about his departure from pharmaceuticals that simply didn’t stop seizures.

A very special photo from nearly 5 yrs ago when Josiah was ‘dedicated to God’ at the same Church!

“He was a brilliant toddler, everyone knew his name” Heather went on to tell me about Josiah’s childhood at the church, “He’s always been incredibly loved and he’s so bright. he knew everyone’s names.” What she’s not going into is the painful story of how the diagnosis of Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) affected her son and her family. It’s a very rare genetic disease that causes non-cancerous tumors to grow in the brain and on other vital organs such as the kidneys, heart, liver, eyes, lungs, and skin. The bottom line is it’s a sentence to the two diagnostics people know much better but still would rather not speak about – Autism and Epilepsy. Kids with TSC will have the same type of developmental delays, the same type of seizures, but the etiology of such is due to genetic variance. Although the cause is understood – much like its counterparts in Autism and Epilepsy, the treatments are debated, misunderstood, and still emerging. While most parents of kids with this will choose traditional medications, times are changing and cannabinoid medicine is taking over.

Baby Josiah in the same church nursery 5 years ago

“We’ve prayed as a congregation for his seizures to go away, sometimes prayers are answered in different ways”, his mom went on and explained, “we’re wired for truth and love and the opposite of that is fear so often people fear what they don’t know about, what they don’t love. Where we went to today I consider our home church, we attend other ones but this is where Josiah is more important than any social stigma, at least more important to them – the people of our church family.”

“We’re Celebrating 36 Hours Seizure Free” – T.S.C. and Cannabis Oils

Josiah’s mom empowered herself with nature when she decided to make his own oil and start treating him with natural plant constituents that she formulated herself with a big of guidance.

So as many of us in the cannabis medicine movement, or the push to end the prohibition of a plant, a crowd at a church applauded a child’s life is made better simply by adding a natural touch to an unnatural healthcare system. While people enjoyed their Sunday walk in the park, Josiah enjoyed a day in the life of a kid instead of a day of seizing. While some ventured out on their boat to have a fun day of fishing – Josiah picked up his art set and started coloring this afternoon.

“It’s a bear,” he told me on Facetime, “and it’s brown” he was so excited to talk to ‘Mr. Mike’! He went on to talk about what he was coloring as we chatted a bit, then his cute little pudgy brother Kingsley stepped onto the screen to tell me about what he was playing with and how. These two brothers celebrate their love for each other daily. Despite the fight, his younger brother has watched Josiah go through he looks up to him like he’s superman – some type of hero. I asked Kingsley to explain how he felt about his brother not having seizures last week and his mom recorded his sweet little voice answering me.

“It makes me happy,” he said. Guess what buddy? It makes me happy too and apparently makes the church extremely pleased to know that a plant made by our maker per the book of Genesis is the reason that Josiah is doing well. His recovery wasn’t based on a product with a brand, it wasn’t based on a store selling something with ‘tax added’ nor was it based on anything more than what Kingsley bases his happiness on in regards to Josiah’s Journey.

Love is always the answer…. and Love always wins.