Texas Original patient Jacob Ortiz heads into summer after 20 months without experiencing a seizure.
In November 2021, 7-year-old Jacob Ortiz celebrated a full year without experiencing a seizure. Jacob, who was diagnosed with epilepsy at just 3 years old, achieved seizure freedom through Texas Original’s medical cannabis.
And where did he celebrate? Right inside our cultivation facility.
Jacob is approaching a new milestone with our high-quality cannabis medicine—two years without experiencing a seizure and a significant reduction in antiepileptic drugs (AEDs).
We caught up with Jacob and his family to see how they’ve been since his trip to Texas Original’s headquarters.
What is Jacob’s favorite subject in school?
Jacob’s favorite subject is History but he has not yet studied it in school. He is very interested in learning about past wars and presidents. This summer, he went to the bookstore and got a few different books about Pearl Harbor. Until he starts studying history in school, his favorite “subject” is lunch and Art is a close second. He was accepted into a Gifted and Talented program in the first grade and is very well-rounded in all subjects.
Does Jacob have any exciting summer plans?
His exciting plans for this summer are spending time in San Antonio at his Nana and Papa's house, going to Schlitterbahn and a couple of Texas beach trips.
What is one thing Jacob wants people to know about his condition and why cannabis is his preferred treatment?
From Jacob: Just because you have epilepsy doesn't mean you can't do things. There is medicine to help control seizures so you can do everyday things. I like medical cannabis better than traditional medications because it has actually helped and tastes better.
From his parents: Medical cannabis was at the front of our desires before he qualified for it. We did research on it from the time he was diagnosed with epilepsy. Jacob's Nana has had seizures in the past and when she was on AEDs they were very harsh, causing scary side effects that they did not want him to experience. As soon as he could qualify, we wanted him to be on medical cannabis due to it being a natural product and having minimal to no side effects.
We also want people to know that though epilepsy can be well-controlled, “seizure-free” doesn’t mean we are “epilepsy-free.” We still follow epilepsy precautions (e.g. wearing a life jacket, never swimming alone, taking showers instead of baths) and make sure Jacob gets adequate sleep. Epilepsy is so unpredictable and doesn't ever really go away. We are always anticipating and being cautious, but medical cannabis helps tremendously with seizure control and enables Jacob to live a fun and fulfilled life.
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