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Testimonial: Cannabis and CBD from Stratos Helped Me With Several Injuries and Issues

After serving in the military and sustaining a back injury and head trauma, I was prescribed several pharmaceutical drugs to treat multiple symptoms such as insomnia, anxiety, depression, pain, inflammation, and PTSD. Pharmaceutical options often left me groggy and became ineffective over time. After discovering Stratos THC and CBD products, I have been able to cease the use of pharmaceutical drugs and experience meaningful symptom relief and restful sleep. 

– Daniel Lloyd

When did you first try Stratos?

I first tried Stratos products in June 2019 at Apothecary Farms, my local dispensary.

What products do you use?

I use Stratos Sleep tablets 500 mg and Stratos Relax tablets 300 mg, both of which contain THC and CBD, and Stratos Soothe CBD Full Spectrum, a topical salve. 

What do you use Stratos for?

The Sleep tablets help with insomnia and sleep apnea symptoms, and induce quality sleep. The Relax tablets help with anxiety and depression and Soothe helps with localized pain and inflammation.

How have Stratos products helped you?

Sleep is elusive, sometimes for days at a time. After using Stratos regularly for the past 10 months, I have been able to start winding down and I am typically in bed before midnight and able to sleep through the night. Sometimes I have sleep interruptions, but it’s mainly due to a deviated septum which causes my sleep apnea. Most of the time I feel refreshed upon waking up, which is phenomenal since prescribed sleep medications usually left me feeling groggy in the morning and melatonin lost its effects after prolonged usage. I use Relax when I feel overwhelmed or anxious. My PTSD symptoms have improved significantly. Soothe topical absorbs well, works fast, and the formulation doesn’t leave skin feeling greasy. I use this product for pain and inflammation, specifically for neck pain and bulging discs in my lower back due to injuries from the military.

Why did you choose Stratos over the other options out there?

I chose Stratos because of quality, efficacy, affordability, and it offered an easy delivery method.

Anything else you’d like to share?

I am very impressed by how fast the products work. Within 15-20 minutes effects can be felt and they last for hours. I am so thankful to have found Stratos. This product line has been life-changing for me and my family! Thank you!

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#HopeMatters Maddy on her Journey to Health

Episode 6 of 7

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XJLRA5rqjc]

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Five years ago Dara and her daughter Maddy moved to Colorado when Maddy was almost 9. “My life has changed…I don’t like seizures, but I’m just glad that I’m not the only one in this world that has seizures, and I have friends that have seizures,” says now 14-year-old Maddy.

Dara talks extensively about how Maddy’s seizures affected her memory; something many of us never consider because we take our ability to create and store memories for granted. At one point, Maddy’s memory was so poor that immediately after eating a sandwich she says she is hungry and has zero recollection of eating just a few minutes ago. She would spend time with her family and not remember one thing that she did for fun. This became a daily occurrence in addition to severe seizures.

For years, Maddy had intractable epilepsy which meant no medications would work. The doctors didn’t know this at the time and kept prescribing more medications. She tried more than six different pharmaceuticals with tons of side effects and also tried the ketogenic diet. On the medications she wasn’t herself anymore, she was angry, irritable, and frustrated at the tender age of 6 and 7 years old.

At one point she was under observation for 4 days in Johns Hopkins University and her neurologist concluded that 80% of her sleep included seizure activity and overall Maddy was having many more seizures than they previously thought.

More heavy-duty and addictive medications that were “slowly killing her” were prescribed. After more time had passed the doctors said, “The only thing we can do is remove half of her brain.”

Really? This was Maddy’s only hope? After Dara watched a video of other kids with seizures having success with CBD oil she wondered, “could this actually be an option for Maddy?” It sure sounds easier than removing half of her brain.

In 2013 they made the biggest decision of their lives and moved to Colorado to try CBD oil because moving across the country was the only legal way to gain access. Five years later, Maddy still hasn’t had brain surgery or any surgery for that matter and is thriving as a teenager.

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#GivingMatters Meet the Jergers

Episode 3 of 7

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9ntLjdrYVk]

Tune in tomorrow to hear more from the Jergers

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The Jerger’s story is unfathomable. Not only because their youngest daughter, Jaelah, was recently diagnosed with Doose syndrome (a rare form of catastrophic pediatric epilepsy), but because they were at risk of losing her to the state of Indiana.

Charlotte’s Web CBD oil was shipped to their home in Indiana like thousands of other families across the country and it was helping to control Jaelah’s seizures.

Although Lelah, Jaelah’s mother, said they would not consider trying cannabinoid therapies, they are now very happy they did because her almost 100 seizures daily have been reduced to 10-20 seizures per day after receiving education services by Care Specialists at the Realm of Caring. Just when things started going well the worst happened. The family received a call from Child Protective Services (CPS). According to them, “We were medically neglecting our child by using CBD oil instead of a pharmaceutical, which is a false allegation,” says Jaelah’s father, Jade.

A nurse practitioner at Riley’s Hospital contacted CPS because “We were using Charlotte’s Web CBD oil even though Jaelah was seizure free [at the time], they [medical staff] didn’t agree with it,” says Lelah. The Jergers received a second opinion and that doctor wanted Jaelah to try a low-dose of Keppra in addition to the CBD oil, so they reluctantly agreed to try it to avoid CPS involvement but they continued to wrongly investigate.

It wasn’t long after she started Keppra that she began having unwanted side effects and her parents decided to wean her off. Unfortunately, this meant they weren’t compliant with CPS. Fearing that their daughter would be taken away, the Jergers decided to make the move to Colorado where the medical community is more accepting and educated on cannabinoid therapies.

They didn’t know anyone in Colorado. Where would they live? Where would they work? They have four other children who would have to leave their friends and schools. It didn’t matter – they were moving. Fortunately for them, they qualified for the Joy Fund which is a relocation grant awarded to families in need. The Jergers used the grant to make their transition much easier. Jaelah is currently having minimal seizures, but she remains 90% + controlled and they continue to search for the right combination of cannabinoids.

You’ll hear more about this in the next episode, but in the meantime please consider making a donation to the Joy Fund by being a RoC Friend.

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#OptionsMatter The Jerger’s grant moves them to Colorado

Episode 4 of 7

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daNMBHtRJ3E]

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“Number one hope for us is for Jaelah to be seizure free. Just a single day seizure free is like a miracle. It’s a celebration.” Says Jaelah’s parents.

Since 2-year-old Jaelah has been using CBD oil, her seizures have reduced more than 90%. Instead of 100 seizures a day, her parents say they visibly see 5 or 6 now. Her quality of life has improved drastically.

“Quality of life for our daughter is the most important thing.”

Jaelah’s parents, Lelah and Jade, say she is thriving more now than ever. She has occupational and speech therapy – when none of these were options for her in Indiana. When we met Jaelah in their home, no one would guess she is a little girl who has struggled with seizures. She runs around like any 2-year-old playing with her siblings and putting ornaments on the tree.

The Jerger’s found the Realm of Caring when they were searching for information about how to use CBD oils. “I just fell in love with the Realm of Caring. Everything about it,” Lelah confesses. They applied for the Joy Fund, a relocation grant, and were able to take the stress out of moving to Colorado this summer.

The Joy Fund has been a blessing to many families over the years and it continues to exist from donations from people like you. The easiest and most impactful way to give is $1 a month as a RoC Friend. Be the reason that other families can relocate to a state where they or their children have options.

If you are already a RoC Friend, share this message with your friends and family. This is a gift that keeps on giving.

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#QualityofLifeMatters Meet Dara and her daughter Maddy

Episode 5 of 7

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfusKuCMAPM]

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Maddy was born prematurely and after extensive testing, her doctors concluded that she suffered brain damage due to a stroke in utero. Her team of doctors didn’t know exactly what would happen and their predictions ranged from her not developing further or she could grow into a healthy girl and maybe have a limp from the stroke. Dara’s only option was to take everything one day at a time.

At age 1 Maddy was diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy on the right side of her body. She started working with different therapists to regain control and was doing really well. Although delayed, she hit every milestone and started reading at a very young age.

“We were warned by her neurologist that there was a possibility of her having seizures, but the doctor thought it would happen before she turned the age of 5,” says Dara. Maddy was almost 6 when she had her first seizure early one morning. Dara didn’t know what was happening because the only seizures she had ever witnessed were on TV and they looked more like a grand mal. Maddy’s seizures looked very different. She didn’t act like herself, wasn’t coherent, and made strange swallowing noises. Dara wasn’t knowledgeable about cerebral palsy (CP) at the time and thought maybe Maddy’s CP was getting worse because she walked slanted and her body would clench up.

It turns out the types of seizures Maddy has are partial complex and she can talk and walk through them and they mostly affect the right side of her body. After her first seizure, Dara knew their lives were going to completely change.

Tune in tomorrow for episode 6 of 7 and dive into the next chapter of Dara and Maddy’s journey.

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#Community Matters Bringing Everyone Together

Episode 7 of 7

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpY9q-PhWt8]

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This episode concludes our end of year giving campaign and we hope you are feeling inspired by every one of these families!

The end of the year brings reflection and goals for the next year.  Here at Realm of Caring Foundation (RoC), we help people find answers to tough questions like administration and dosing guidelines for cannabinoid therapies. We don’t give answers “because we heard it somewhere” we give data-driven answers from the research we’ve been collecting for years. This Observational Research Registry (ORR), in collaboration with institutions like Johns Hopkins University, takes hundreds of thousands of dollars to implement each year. Those dollars come from donors like you who give $12 a year as a RoC Friend. Also, all of our programs and services are completely free and the only way to sustain free programs is through additional RoC Friends in 2019.

Another thing we LOVE to do is give money away to families in need. This can be in the form of a relocation grant (Joy Fund) like the Jerger’s received this summer which relieved the pressure of moving from Indiana to Colorado so Jaelah could access products and services that weren’t available in her state.  We also give away grants to families to offset the cost of their therapies that aren’t covered by insurance through the Realm Cares program. Anyone in need can apply, and the average amount is $100 directly deposited into the recipient’s account over a one year period.  To date, we have given back over $300,000.00 in grant programs because of RoC Friends!

This is all super AHHHmazing, EXCEPT, we don’t have enough money to give every person that applies for the grant and this breaks our hearts.?  We hope in 2019 we can raise enough funding to close the gap and no longer have to turn desperate families away. To give a grant to every person who applies, we need around $2,600,000.00. You read that right. 2.6 million dollars.  Every dollar counts.

We know this end of year giving campaign is running a little late and our biggest ask of the year is the week before Christmas. But, we aren’t asking you to donate $10,000 or even $500. We aren’t asking you to donate $20 (which is the average secret Santa gift exchange cost.)

We are asking for $12 and that covers your donation for the year! It doesn’t seem like a lot, but it is the MOST IMPACTFUL way to give.

Side note: According to a new Workonomix survey by Accounting Principals, 50% of the American workforce spends approximately $1000 a year oncoffeeor a weekly coffee habit of more than $20. WOW!

It’s not $12 a month – it’s $1 a MONTH. Of course, if you have more to give, please do – your donation is completely tax-deductible because we are a 501c(3) nonprofit. Do you have a rich Uncle Ron who needs to move some money around at the end of the year for tax purposes?Send him our direction.

But for YOU – the average person who probably struggles to pay the mortgage every month, we are asking for $1.

To give some more perspective, we have more than 90,000 followers on our social media accounts. If each one would donate $1 we would have $90,000 to expand our research program for 1 year, or help 18 more families relocate to a state with medical cannabis laws so they don’t live in fear of their child being taken away.

This is our ask: If you aren’t already, become a RoC Friend for $12/year. Tell your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, whoever is in your community about this wonderful video series. Share these stories and inspire your community to also give $12/year.  See where we’re going with this? Be the change. Pay it forward. Give a tremendous gift we call the gift of time.  Many of the families we serve around the world are running out of time, out of options, out of hope.

Help us to help them. You are the hero of this story. Thank you.

Sign up todayORDONATE any amount

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#GivingMatters Part 2 of Paula and Jordan’s Journey.

Episode 2 of 7

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_Exo7qUbx4]

Tune in tomorrow to meet our next family, the Jergers, and hear their incredible story!

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We hope you feel inspired to make an impact after watching part two of Paula and Jordan’s story. Today, when Jordan has a seizure it is much less severe and overall her life has been positively affected by cannabinoid therapies. Paula is thrilled they made the move out West more than 5 years ago to try a plant-based, non-toxic option. “She’s never asked to go back home,” says Paula. They were one of the first families to relocate to Colorado before hundreds of families with medically fragile children migrated here. These families were known as “medical refugees” for leaving their home-states to try an option that wasn’t available to them at the time.

In the United States (at the end of 2018) we have 33 states plus Washington D.C. with medical cannabis laws, and 10 states which have legalized recreational cannabis, so hearing the term “medical refugee” is a little archaic, although it’s still happening as you’ll discover in episode three of this series tomorrow. It took families like Paula’s to completely uproot their lives and instigate major changes surrounding the medical cannabis stigma and legalities.

Without sacrifices like theirs, would more than half of our country have medical cannabis laws? These fearless families made a huge impact within their communities and beyond. Will you consider making an impact before the end of the year?

You’re probably asking, where does my donation go?

By donating to the Realm of Caring you are supporting education, research and grant programs. To date, donors have enabled Realm of Caring to grant more than $300,000 in financial assistance to families in need, and invest over $600,000 in first of its kind research with Universities like Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and the University of Pennsylvania studying the health outcomes of CBD and cannabis.

Becoming a RoC Friend for $1/month is the most impactful way to give. Become a Friend today.

One of greatest gifts you can give is your time! We would love if you’d consider volunteering for Realm of Caring! Read more about what volunteering looks like.

Tune in tomorrow to meet the Jerger family and learn why they fled the state of Indiana.

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#HopeMatters Meet Paula and Jordan

Episode 1 of 7

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVLnq4-Dvqs]

Tune in tomorrow to hear the rest of Paula and Jordan’s story.

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In 2013 Paula and Jordan made a decision that would forever change their lives. Leaving their family and friends in Ohio and moving to Colorado was something they never imagined. All in hopes of a treatment to control Jordan’s seizures caused by a catastrophic form of epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome.

Her seizures started when she was 6 months old and by the time she was 18 Jordan had tried a dozen different pharmaceuticals and nothing controlled her seizures. On her worst day, she would have more than 70 grand mal seizures in a 12 hour period. Jordan’s mom, Paula, was desperate to find some relief for her struggling daughter. “She’s living, but she’s living in a zone,” says Paula. Jordan was placed on palliative (hospice) care and the doctors said there wasn’t anything else they could do.

Paula heard about Charlotte Figi’s story and her success with cannabis, specifically CBD products, for Dravet Syndrome. But Paula didn’t know anyone in Colorado and thought it was crazy to pack up their lives and leave her husband and their other daughter in Ohio.

That’s when Paula said she asked for divine assistance and their path was made clear. Within a couple of months, they moved to Colorado and got started with cannabinoid therapies right away. Since then, Jordan has been able to wean off two pharmaceutical medications, one highly addictive. Jordan has improved cognitive function and better quality of life.

Quality of life matters.  You can make a lasting impact for a family like Paula and Jordan’s by donating your time as a volunteer or by making a tax-deductible donation to the Realm of Caring.  With your support, the Realm of Caring can continue to offer programs and services to thousands of families around the world who are looking for guidance with cannabis therapies.

For just $1/month you can be a RoC Friend and support families like Paula and Jordan’s. Join us today.

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#RaisetheRealm 48 HOURS LEFT to $70K

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGGKGrKVGrA]

Jason is a retired Army Veteran who has been deployed overseas several times. He suffered a traumatic brain injury in a bombing and has since dealt with depression, anxiety, PTSD and severe pain.

VA doctors were quick to heavily sedate him with an army of pharmaceutical drugs including medications for pain, depression, and anxiety. Once these pills took effect, Jason started gaining a lot of weight, his anger increased, and his self-esteem drastically decreased. He then started getting angry at the man he had become. He felt trapped like he had no way out. He thought, “Why wasn’t I being supported in my recovery?”  

Jason called himself “a mess”.  He was forced to stay on the medications from the VA because if he didn’t refill them each month he was at risk of losing his VA benefits. On more than one occasion, suicidal thoughts plagued him. He had no interest in life. He didn’t see the point in living such a miserable existence.

Jason’s anger was out of control. He didn’t enjoy being around his child or his (ex) wife. He would tower over his toddler on purpose, instead of kneeling down to their eye level.  Jason yelled all of the time, his child was scared, and his wife at that time decided to walk away. He moved in with his brother-in-arms Noah at that point and completely isolated himself. He wouldn’t join Noah and his family for dinner, instead, he would eat alone upstairs in his room and sulk.

Jason turned to alcohol to deal with his emotions and combined with his pharmaceutical medications, it was a nasty cocktail.  This started his downward spiral all the way to rock bottom.

Jason has always known about cannabis but it was never an option for him while serving active duty. On top of that, he was frequently drug tested as active duty and as a Veteran because he was prescribed opiates.

Since using cannabis Jason can manage all of his symptoms and his mental health is stable. He was able to decrease his pharmaceutical medications and stop a lot of his medications altogether.

He points out that he is never “high”. He likes to medicate before heading to the gym for his morning workouts. Cannabis helps relieve his anxiety and decrease his pain so his workouts are more effective. He is more loveable, calm, and overall happy.  Jason now enjoys being with his children and is happily re-married.

#RaisetheRealm #SiblingLove

JASON 1

 

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Client Spotlight: Taylor

Taylor started on the CBD oil in December 2015 with Neurologist approval. So the new journey began…

It started out just stopping every seizure without the use of the heavy duty Diazepam rectal gel. To, currently, preventing them all together. Going on 120 days seizure free on the Charlotte’s Web CBD therapy. There have been a few mild break thru seizures previous to this seizure free streak, but mild and very short lived compared to what they were before the CBD oil therapy…and with absolutely NO side effects! This is now mandatory to keep the seizures and other issues under control and at bay. Taylor has shown great improvement in seizure control with the oil. Moods are better, No Diazepam needed, and NO seizures currently. Taylor has been able to come off of every prescription pharmaceutical medication out of the 8 he was on except 1 of them, and once he is seizure free for 6 months he will be able to wean off that final pharmaceutical medication. So to this family, Charlotte’s Web, Cannabidiol therapy oil, has proven extremely effective and has went above and beyond “said claims”. It’s like a miracle! I cannot express the magnitude of the positive impact these oils have had on their lives and seizure control! CBD oil helping is great, and wonderful news and a miracle to see happening for their son. Thanks to this amazing “Side-effect free”, natural oil, our son is happy, healthy, off big-pharma medications and is seizure free! He has his life back and that is the biggest blessing. We have all we ever wanted for him, good health, happiness, and on the road to life without seizures. So far so good. Whether it decreases them 50%, 75% or 100% , it is all a positive change for him and proof the oil works. It is far better than the 0% he was getting on the pharma medications for all his issues. It is fantastic to see him smiling again and to be able to finally say, “I have Epilepsy… Epilepsy doesn’t have me!”

The future may not always be clear or look bright. Sometimes it’s like you are given a timer as to how long you can look in life, but no matter how the future looks, we have to look up to the sky, keep our heads held high and pray. Hold on to hope, because sometimes, that’s all you’ve got. Hope , faith, and love… that’s what get’s us through. TAYLOR IS OUR CHILD, A CHILD: A REAL PERSON, WITH REAL STRUGGLES. WHO DESERVES A CHANCE AT A NORMAL LIFE. CHARLOTTE’S WEB IS GIVING HIM THAT AND MORE!