It is with great sadness that we announce that Charlotte Figi, the namesake and inspiration behind the acclaimed CBD strain Charlotte’s Web, passed away yesterday at age 13.
Charlotte and her twin sister Chase were born on October 18, 2006 in Colorado. Charlotte had a seizure when she was three years old and was subsequently diagnosed with the rare and life-threatening seizure disorder known as Dravet syndrome. She was prescribed a variety of pharmaceuticals, but nothing seemed to work. Her seizures were constant and long-lasting. She was placed in hospice at age five.
Charlotte’s mother, Paige, refused to take her daughter’s diagnosis lying down. She researched her disorder, related disorders, and eventually found a Brazilian study about epilepsy and cannabidiol. In 2011, she embarked on a journey to get ahold of a supply of CBD and track down growers who cultivated it. At this point in time, CBD was rarely discussed, even in the cannabis space. But the stars aligned, and Paige was finally approached by professional cannabis grower Joel Stanley. They worked together to create a high-CBD, low-THC strain—when Paige administered the resulting oil, Charlotte went from having 300 seizures a week to a few episodes a month. It was a dramatic improvement that no one had anticipated.
Paige became an advocate for not only her own daughter, but for other children suffering from intractable epilepsy. Charlotte, in addition to finding relief from her seizures, became the poster child of CBD and was featured in pro-cannabis documentaries and in our own Female 50 issue of High Times this past November.
Charlotte’s passing is devastating to all who knew her and to all who found hope and inspiration though her. We extend our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to Charlotte’s family and friends.
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