An 11-year-old boy from Northern Ireland who suffers from a severe form of epilepsy is the first person in the United Kingdom to be prescribed medical cannabis that contains both CBD and THC, the Belfast Telegraph reports. Billy Caldwell, and his mother Charlotte, picked up his prescription from the National Health Services on Wednesday.
“It’s been an extremely long and tiring battle for us,” Charlotte said in the report. “I never saw this day coming, even though I knew that we had a good case.”
The family had spent seven months in Los Angeles, California so Billy could receive cannabis oil treatments.
“He’s now 82-days seizure free which is an amazing and incredible feeling,” Charlotte said. “I’m very proud of him.”
In Ireland, Billy will be treated by Dr. James Linden of Greenlight Medicines in Dublin. Linden will send the cannabis oil doses to a hospital in Northern Ireland – likely Royal Victoria Hospital – who will provide it to the family.
“The biggest step was getting the prescription written into my hand,” she said. “It was fantastic to have it in writing. This is my wee boy’s life-saving medicine that is keeping his life-threatening seizures at bay.”
Charlotte said she is working with lawyers in crafting a medical cannabis bill known as “Billy’s Law” that will be introduced into the legislature by MLA Barry McElduff, a member of the Sinn Fein party.