Look, Ma! Im in the news! Wow, this is sooo exciting to see!!! See the bottom of Pg. 5 through Pg. 6 for my story. Please note that my circumstances have changed. WE ARE NOT MOVING! WE ARE STAYING TO FIGHT!!! Please dont hold my hand so hard. (CCS Note: This is what my dad said to me when he was dying in 2009.) Those words were the beginning of Cecilia Liedeckes journey to medical marijuana advocacy, and theyre ones she will never forget. The involuntary motions made by her hands had been happening for years, but shed only ever been told that the issues were related to bipolar disorder. But as her hands squeezed the hands of another, refusing to let go, it was obvious something much bigger was happening. The mother of two was eventually diagnosed with tardive dyskinesia (CCs note: I have an undiagnosed neurological disorder), a painful disorder characterized by involuntary movements, often of the lower face. It is hard to treat and often incurable, and Liedeckes has continually progressed. As a mother and the (former interim) director of the central Texas branch of NORML (alliance), Liedecke knows all too well the fear that comes with being a parent and cannabis advocate. She worries about those kinds of things all the time. Her daughters could easily be taken should she make a misstep, but she has to get treatment somehow. For now, that treatment involves moving to Colorado -- without her daughters -- in search of cannabis to slow the effects of tardive dyskinesia. Traditional treatments were ineffective, as is often the case with the illness -- and while marijuana treatment has shown promise, she could lose custody of her daughters in Texas for using it. If youre a Texan and youve lived here your entire life, you dont want to leave. Nobody wants to leave their home to get medicine, she says. She says she wont come back until pot is legal in Texas; as much as she loves the state, the risk isnt worth the reward, and her daughters deserve a mom who can function in the ways they need her to. When I first began to talk about Colorado, the reactions werent what I expected. People questioned how I could leave my girls. You cant leave them here. You cant do that, theyd say, says Liedecke. I was really torn up about it. But I discussed the treatment, and now that theyve heard me talk about it, the reactions are very supportive. I want to come back; I want to be back before my oldest daughter goes to prom.
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 18:43:38 +0000
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