A mother fighting for access to medicinal marijuana to control her six year old daughters seizures is walking from Cork to the Dail to highlight their cause.
Vera Twomey set off from Cashel this morning and will continue on foot to complete the 260 kilometre journey for the second time as she demands a change in stance from the Health Minister.
Vera's daughter Ava, diagnosed with Dravets Syndrome, suffers hundreds of seizures daily but it can be controlled with Medicinal Marijuana.
Despite recent changes in legislation Ava has been denied access to medical cannabis.
Vera is pleading with the Health Minister to grant Ava access based on compassionate grounds as she believes it's a matter of life and death for her daughter.
She has been in a number of meetings with Harris and has tried to get the Minister to allow Ava access cannabis-based medicine on compassionate grounds. Ava, who would have suffered dozens of seizures on a daily basis, has had access to CBD oil costing around €300 a month.
CBD is a cannabidiol and is legal in Ireland because it does not contain any THC, the psychoactive part of the cannabis plant.
Recently Vera and her husband Paul released a harrowing video of Ava suffering a seizure as they felt they had reached their “last straw” and are desperate for something to be done.
Today is day four of Vera's protest walk to the Dail, this morning's preparatins were delayed slightly as Ava had a seizure before Vera was due to arrive at the starting point at the Brian Boru in Cashel.
Speaking to Beat News she said, "She had a seizure this morning and we comforted her and she's resting now again and my Mum is looking after her at home.
She's such a great girl and she's got such potential, if we can just reduced the seizures a little bit further.
Everybody says that the THC improves the reduction of the seizures - the medical doctors say it, the reports from the hospital say it and the parents of children who have Dravets Syndrome say it.
Any bit of help is fierce appreciated altogether."
Vera is continuing her journey on foot from Cashel to Littleton in Tipperary today, the group might make it as far as Urlingford and expect to reach the Dail on Tuesday 7th March.
You can follow support the family by signing the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/minister-for-health-medicinal-cannabis-for-ava-irish-government-leglislate-to-save-my-daughters-life?source_location=minibar
