Two-Month-Old Baby Becomes First Hospital Patient Legally Treated with CBD Hemp Extract for Epilepsy
Author: Lucie Garabasova
A two-month-old baby girl from Albuquerque is fighting a severe form of epilepsy, with conventional pharmaceuticals offering little to no relief. Desperate for a solution, her parents turned to an alternative treatment: hemp extract. This made their daughter the first patient in history to be legally treated with hemp extract in a hospital setting.
A Rare and Untreatable Epilepsy
Amylea Nunez has been suffering from seizures since birth, and doctors have yet to determine the cause. “She has a very rare type of epilepsy, which is not treatable at the moment,” explains her mother, Nicole Nunez.
Born in December, Amylea has not left the intensive care unit for infants since her birth. The first seizure occurred the day after she and her mother returned from the maternity hospital. Unable to provide effective treatment, doctors in their hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, referred the family to the Children’s Hospital in Aurora, Colorado, where they have spent the last two months.
The Impact of a New Treatment
Amylea’s condition has been challenging for the entire family. Nicole stays by her daughter’s side while her father, Ernie Nunez, commutes between Aurora and Albuquerque daily to work and care for their other children. “It was really a big change in the lives of all the family members, and it was extremely difficult to cope with,” Ernie shares.
The hospital staff observed noticeable improvements in Amylea after just two doses of the hemp extract. "She is more concentrated and more curious," says Nicole. The conventional pharmaceuticals Amylea was taking were a significant burden on her liver, prompting her parents to seek a treatment that would be gentler on her body.
Exploring Alternative Medicine
In her search for alternatives, Nicole discovered CBD hemp oil, known for its success in treating epilepsy in infants and older children. The extract contains only 0.2% of the psychoactive THC and around 10% of the non-psychoactive CBD. Despite its potential, the use of CBD is still considered controversial.
Amylea’s parents believe she is the only patient in the hospital being treated with this type of medication and possibly the world’s youngest person using the extract. “For three weeks, I tried to convince the doctors to try this product, and it took a lot of strength and emotional stress,” Nicole recalls. “I consulted with neurologists in Aurora and the team of experts who developed this hemp medicine. I strongly believe this will work.”
A Miracle in the Making
In February, the doctors finally approved the use of the hemp extract. “Just the fact that the doctors from the Infant ICU allowed us to try the hemp extract during her hospital stay is a miracle for us,” says Nicole. Initially, the doctors were strictly against it, insisting that Amylea could only use such products after being discharged to home care.
Despite the approval, hospital staff are not permitted to administer the hemp extract, so Nicole takes on this responsibility herself. The positive effects were apparent after just two doses, with Amylea showing signs of improvement. She has since become part of a clinical study aiming to understand how the hemp extract works. The family plans to stay in Albuquerque for at least four more months to continue her treatment.
This story of Amylea Nunez and her parents’ determination highlights the potential of hemp extract as a treatment for epilepsy, offering hope to other families facing similar challenges.