REMEMBERING CHARLOTTE FIGI (2006-2020): THE OG CBD INFLUENCER

Remembering Charlotte Figi (2006-2020): The Original CBD Influencer

Crix Lee

The girl who inspired the most wellknown strain of CBD oil and put a face on the benefits of medicinal cannabis around the world sadly passed away on April 8th at the age of 13. When Charlotte Figi was born on October 18, 2006 (alongside her twin brother, Chase) to Paige and Matt Figi, everything seemed normal: the babies were happy and healthy. Then just 3 months later, Charlotte experienced her first seizure that lasted roughly 30 minutes. After taking Charlotte to the ER, extensive testing (MRI, EEG, spinal tap) doctors found nothing out of the ordinary. "They weren't calling it epilepsy. We just thought it was one random seizure… they did the whole work-up and found nothing. And sent us home.” said Paige Figi, Charlotte’s mother. The following week, Charlotte had another seizure that lasted longer and was the first of many, often lasting two to four hours in duration. Charlotte was in and out of the hospital, with doctors mystified by her condition as her blood tests and scans always came back as “normal.” With hope from doctors, Paige and Matt were told that it’s “probably going to go away,” and “it’s unusual in that it’s so severe, but it’s probably something she’ll grow out of.” But the seizures and hospital stays became more frequent, until one of the doctors treating young Charlotte came up with three possibilities with the worst case being Dravet Syndrome (a.k.a. “myoclonic epilepsy of infancy” or SMEI). Dravet Syndrome is a rare and severe form of what’s known as “intractable epilepsy,” meaning the seizures aren’t controlled with medication. Usually, DS begins to appear in infants before the age of 1 and in the second year will experience other types of seizures such as myoclonus: muscle spasms and status epilepticus (seizures that last more than 30 minutes or occur one right after another). While she was developing normally at the same speed as her twin, her seizures became more and more severe, with none of the seven drugs she was prescribed (including barbiturates and benzodiazepines) giving young Charlotte more than a short respite from her ailment. At age 2 1/2, The Figis took her to Children’s Hospital Colorado and two months after a neurologist decided to test her for the SCN1A gene mutation (commonly found in 80% of DS diagnoses), they had their answer: Charlotte tested positive for Dravet. “I remember to this day it was a relief. Even though it was the worst-case scenario, I felt relief just to know." said Paige. Charlotte’s father Matt (a Green Beret) decided to leave the military, saying that "Every mission, every training I was going to do I was called home because