Charlotte Figi was a hero whose legacy will continue changing lives
Photo courtesy of Charlotte’s Web
By Rebekkah Ranallo
It’s been one week since 13 year old Charlotte Figi passed away. The cannabis community has felt the loss of Charlotte deeply. Charlotte’s story cracked the medical marijuana conversation wide open across our country. Her family pushed our society’s boundaries and took enormous risks to give Charlotte life. Truthfully, we have yet to understand how many lives will be changed because of this child and the battle her family waged.
In Pittsburgh, we are blessed with a mighty group of mothers who lobbied our state legislature tenaciously to legalize medical marijuana. These women, inspired by Paige and Charlotte Figi, took on an enormous burden for our community, on top of caring for their medically fragile children. They offered hours of emotional testimony, organized protests, and suffered years of political setbacks while their children endured hundreds of seizures. In 2016, Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program was at last signed into law, largely because of the fight these mothers refused to lose.
We are humbled to know these brave mothers and honored to share two of their reflections on Charlotte Figi.
“Charlotte was a Dravet warrior that lead the world in treating seizures with cannabis. So devastated to learn that she passed. I will be forever grateful for the passion and tenacity of her Mom, Paige, that helped guide and push us Moms across the country to fight for our children in our states. If it was not for Charlotte and Paige, this medical marijuana movement would not have happened successfully. My daughter Hannah is now over 95% seizure-free and Charlotte played a very important role in helping make that a reality. I will be forever grateful.” -Heather Shuker, Pennsylvania medical marijuana caregiver, advocate, and Founder of Hannahtopia and Empower Your Odyssey
“Charlotte brought such hope and strength to us all. She was our invincible warrior. My tears are for her mom, dad, step-dad, twin sister and brother today.”- Diana Briggs, Pennsylvania medical marijuana caregiver, advocate, and founder of PA Compassionate Caregivers.
Charlotte has been the center of many conversations in our dispensaries. It is our sincere hope that these reflections from our staff offer the Figi family a comforting look into how, from thousands of miles away, their sacrifices have shaped our own little corner of the cannabis community here in Pittsburgh. To keep the focus of this tribute on Charlotte, her family, and our local “mama bear” community, we have kept the following reflections anonymous.
“One of our first patients ever—an older adult—has epilepsy. I’ll never forget them coming in the first day we opened our doors and saying “the little girl on CNN” changed what they thought about marijuana. They had been dealing with unwanted side effects from conventional treatments for years. Within a few months of starting cannabinoid therapy, their seizures reduced dramatically, in both number and intensity.”
“Having experienced the frightening consequences of seizures, to say Charlotte Figi’s passing hit home for me is an understatement. Her story inspired me to join the medical marijuana field. She serves as a daily reminder that there is so much more work to be done. She will continue to be motivation for providing patients suffering from a range of debilitating conditions the relief and wellness they seek. She was and will remain a beacon of hope. Rest in peace, Charlotte.”
“If it wasn’t for Charlotte, we’d probably never even have even met each other. We wouldn’t have these incredible jobs witnessing these amazing transformations for our patients. This program probably wouldn’t even exist.”
“Her mother—oh my god she’s an angel. She has to be to have moved the mountains that she did.”
“Charlotte is a big part of why I took the risk to leave my former job and join this industry.”
“On days when the challenges of working in this industry feel overwhelming, I remind myself that they don’t even compare to the adversity people like Charlotte and Paige Figi faced for us to even be here.”
“Charlotte and her whole family were instrumental leaders in this movement. This is a tragic loss for our community.”
If you or someone you know suffer from a seizure disorder and want to learn more about medical marijuana therapy, click here for a message from our Pharmacy team.
Learn more about Charlotte and her global impact
https://charlottememorial.realmofcaring.org/
https://www.charlottesweb.com/blog/inmemoriam-charlotte
https://www.coalitionforaccessnow.org/executive_director
"Oh Charlotte" by MC Flow & Jason Mraz | The Story of Charlotte Figi | Live at Red Rocks
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/08/health/sanjay-gupta-weed-charlotte-figi-tribute/index.html