SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — This is a quick look into how a former steel working Utah father named James Dumas and his family discovered medical cannabis as a very real way to improve life for his 6 year old daughter, Aubree. She’s a music-loving phenomenon in-the-making who also happens to be blind and autistic. “Aubree’s the light of our lives,” her father added.
Filling a Painful Sensory Void
Given Aubree’s spectrum of multiple diagnoses, her road to cannabis as an effective treatment has been a uniquely challenging one.
“Autistic children often try to fill their sensory void, which can actually be painful,” said Dumas.
The Dumas family came to cannabis in search of alternative treatments for Aubree’s frequent, and sometimes violent, meltdowns. Another concern was chronic sleeplessness, which can be common for young children with Autism. Additionally, Aubree suffered from digestive issues and seizures caused by Diabetes Insipidus, a condition that doesn’t allow the body to retain nutrients, and results in dangerously high levels of sodium.
Dumas explained, “As soon as cannabis was signed into law, I called my primary physician, but it was so new at first, the doctors just didn’t know [how to administer cannabis as a medicine].” Dumas was later given a medicinal cannabis recommendation from his daughter’s endocrinologist.
Although Aubree has difficulty sharing ideas cognitively, Dumas said, he believes that medical cannabis has helped Aubree speak and develop more freely, even over a noticeably short period of time. This brings us to what this 6-year-old is really all about: from Neil Young to Three Dog Night, music is Aubree’s life.
Dumas says Aubree still remembers the Red Hot Chili Peppers song she heard at 9 months old, Don’t Strip My Mind. She also dances, sings, and, of course, one her favorite pastimes is teasing Mom and Dad into playing the next track. James hopes Aubree’s future development will be fuller with the combination of her musical talent and cannabis treatment.
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Cannabis Treatment Caused Change Right Away
“After all my research, I was so excited when cannabis came to Utah,” Dumas said. “I knew cannabis would benefit her, and it has.” Dumas also said the data they received from recent school reports after only two months of cannabis oil treatment documented a 75 percent reduction in meltdowns.
“We noticed a change right away. There have been less meltdowns, and she now talks more,” he said. “She’s been having a lot more good days than bad ones. It’s night and day.”
When it was finally time to obtain Aubree’s medical cannabis card along with James’ caregiver card, the Dumas family found the Natural Medicine Clinic of Utah to be “phenomenal help” through what James described as a complicated process.
“Matt and Roxanne [of Natural Medicine Clinic of Utah] are amazing,” Dumas said, “They’ve also helped us find a cannabis specialist from Colorado to help.”
When asked how he determines appropriate dosage, Dumas said he felt concerned at first, but as his doctors did when figuring out the correct amount of hormone medication for Aubree, he found it’s best to start slow to find out what works best.
“The goal is to eliminate the need for medications with tons of potential side effects,” said Dumas. “I truly believe any autistic child will benefit from cannabis, and there’s lots of support if you want to take that step.”
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