After two years of hospital visits and multiple different treatments, three-year-old cancer patient Aubrey has found major success with cannabis oil. Diagnosed with brain cancer at a very young age, Aubrey’s family has been desperate to find a solution that will help cure their baby girl. With the legalization of medical marijuana, the family, who reside south of St. Louis, is pleased to see that treatments, such as cannabis oil, have had a significantly positive effect on their daughter’s illness.
Aubrey was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 and has been battling ever since. From chemotherapy to bone marrow transplants, her father, Jon Matthews, spoke to Patients Magazine about her story and detailed the hardships this little girl has had to face at an early age.
“Aubrey was diagnosed with brain cancer on November 26, 2018. On November 28, 2018, only two days later, she had the tumor removed, but it had already spread to her spine,” Jon said. “She went through three rounds of high doses of chemo and three rounds of bone marrow transplants. Several ICU stays, hospitalizations, surgeries, etc. in between. Finally, Aubrey got to ring the bell two days before her third birthday on September 17, 2019.”
However, in December of 2019, they had found that the tumor had returned with other findings on the front of her brain and her spine. While the cancer was smaller than it had been previously, its discovery meant that Aubrey and her family were to make 5 trips a week to St. Louis for outpatient chemotherapy. It was at this time that they decided to reach out and try cannabis oil (RSO) treatment.
On Tuesday, March 17, 2020, Aubrey’s family visited the doctor for another MRI to observe their daughter’s progress. What they found was nothing short of miraculous. Aubrey’s tumors had considerably reduced since their last visit.
GALLERY: AUBREY’S JOURNEY
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“We started RSO as soon as we could get her medical card and legally get her meds. The RSO automatically had great benefits,” Jon continued. “Her appetite was better. She could go to the hospital and not spend the drive there crying. The doctors and staff have been able to talk to and interact with her. The most amazing part of RSO has been that her last scan was drastically shrinking tumors. The doctor said he couldn’t even see the tumor on the front.”
According to Aubrey’s mother, Samantha, the decision to put Aubrey on cannabis oil came after consulting with physicians both in and outside of their hospital. Taking into consideration the chemotherapy she has missed due to other issues stemming from her health, Aubrey’s family and doctors believed that integrating cannabis oil into her chemotherapy plan was the best option regarding her cancer.
“Aubrey has missed A LOT of chemo due to low platelets, sicknesses, and other issues due to her health. We have been through so much the past couple of months,” Samantha explained on her daughter’s Facebook page, Aubrey Strong. “A little while back we started giving Aubrey high cannabis oil along with her current chemotherapy plan. When starting this we consulted with a physician at our hospital and an outside physician as well who has previous and current pediatric patients.”
Considering the size of the chemotherapy doses Aubrey was already receiving, the family concluded that the cannabis oil had been the major factor in reducing their daughter’s cancer in conjunction with chemotherapy.
“With the small amount of chemotherapy that Aubrey has had we fully believe that the Cannabis oil has made the impact we expected and hoped for,” Samantha continued. “Medical cannabis is huge for cancer treatment, including symptoms, side effects and obviously shrinking tumors!”
It’s been a tough battle for Aubrey and her family throughout these past couple of years. The doctors stated that if this new treatment did not work, and that the tumors had grown instead, they would have to start radiation treatment. Samantha had expressed hesitancy towards radiation prior to this news, stressing how taxing radiation therapy can be on the brain of a three-year-old. However, with the results concluding that Aubrey’s tumors had shrunk, their family does not have to worry about any form of radiation at this moment. Aubrey will continue with her cannabis oil and chemotherapy treatments.
“No matter what anyone’s opinion is we are doing everything in our power to help our baby girl beat cancer! It is working! The proof is in the pictures,” Samantha continued. “We are blessed to know that God is on our side through this journey, providing us with the team and people to walk our daughter down the correct road.”
Aubrey, her parents, and her two sisters (one more on the way!) live in St. Francois County, Missouri.
CLICK HERE to follow Aubrey’s journey on Facebook on the page “Aubrey Strong.”
All photos courtesy of the Matthews family.
The Matthews family is distantly related to the owner and publisher of this publication through marriage.
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