Three years ago, my life changed drastically. I was hit nearly head-on around 60 mph by a vehicle that lost control and flipped my SUV to the other side of the street. I suffered a severe brain injury that left me on a roller coaster of emotions and intense daily pain from a concussion. I had horrific migraines, I couldn’t remember what I was saying from sentence to sentence, I experienced forgetfulness from room to room, I carried a fear of “doing too much” or simply being in public. I couldn’t go to hockey games or do much of anything that brought me joy.

For two years I sought treatment and was put on many different medications with terrible side effects. When you live with chronic pain it starts to chip away at the fabric of who you are. I chose to take a more natural approach because I couldn’t explain, and the doctors couldn’t explain why I was having so much difficulty with the medications. I tried vestibular therapy, physical therapy, hyperbaric oxygen chamber, psychiatric therapy, cognitive therapy, trauma therapy, exercise, yoga, breathing meditation, chiropractic care, massage therapy, ANYTHING looking for relief.

My husband saw that Calypso Enterprises was hosting a job fair in October 2018 and mentioned it to me. I went with the only intention of gathering information about the company, and when I left, I was inspired to dive deeper into understanding what medical marijuana could do to help people with a variety of ailments. Once I went down the rabbit hole learning about medical marijuana and learned there is real science behind this medicine—it wasn’t some taboo drug that was forbidden—I was committed from that moment on to learn as much as I could about the medicinal benefits this plant had to offer.

I became a medical marijuana patient in November of 2018, and with trial and error I found products that brought me relief. I hadn’t slept for almost two years because my brain was stuck in this “fight or flight” state where it couldn’t shut down. It has been a long road, but when I look back to where I was three years ago, my quality of life has exponentially increased since using medical marijuana as my medicine.

The moral of my story is to never give up. To this day I’m not “healed”. I still have to adjust daily to a variety of different scenarios that affect me, but I am a fully functioning person again. I owe much of my success to several different treatments, lifestyle changes, and mostly being able to sleep again. Sleep is the foundation of every day for me. My day is unbearable without it or enough of it.

Medical marijuana isn’t a cure for me, but it has given me a quality of life that I missed for a long time. A quality of life that allows me to be present in many of my family’s activities. I work a full-time job as the Client Services Manager for Calypso. I couldn’t be happier or more passionate to learn more every day and to help others who are ailing. I sympathize greatly with those out there that suffer. Don’t ever give up hope! Be determined to get the answers that you need and surround yourself with people that bring you joy.

I’m not sure I’ll ever be the person I used to be, and to be honest, maybe that’s a good thing.  Having your life flash before your eyes and be at peace that those are the last moments you have on earth, to be alive and hug and kiss your family that night, to overcome overwhelming pain day after day for years, depression, panic attacks, and in the end, I live with a sense of gratitude every day because this has made me a better person.

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We thank Jenn for bravely sharing her story. It’s both our hopes that her experience will inspire others and bring further awareness to the potential of medical marijuana.