Girl Who Fought For Medical Marijuana Dies From Form Of Epilepsy
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- She became a well-known face in a monumental shift in Minnesota law. Amelia Weaver was one of the first kids in the state to use marijuana for medicine.
Amelia battled a rare disease for most of her life. She lost that battle last week. WCCO looks back at the lasting impact she'll have for so many.
The words from her obituary fit the incredible fight Amelia Weaver and her family waged for years against a catastrophic form of epilepsy called Scn2a.
"Only the lucky few get to experience the magic of raising a unicorn. They're rare. They push others to change the way they see the world," it reads.
So rare, just 300 people in the world have it.
Once a talkative, intelligent little girl, a series of seizures when she was 2 changed the course of her life, and in 2014, put her family at the Capitol again and again to fight for access to medical cannabis, until it became law.
"This means the world to my family. This is going to change my daughter's life and the lives of thousands in Minnesota," Amelia's mom, Angie Weaver, told a crowd in 2014.
With the medicine, Amelia went from 100 seizures a day to just a few at night. Two years later, the Weaver's paved the way for a marijuana dispensary in Hibbing to open its doors.
Cutting down on the 300-mile round-trip ride they'd make to get Amelia's medicine.
"We're excited that this will be more convenient for northern Minnesota patients," Angie Weaver said in another interview in 2016.
But earlier this month, Amelia's condition took a turn. She was airlifted to Mayo Clinic, where she died on Aug. 16 at the age of 12.
As words of reflection live on: "Loving a unicorn is easy. Learning to live without seeing one everyday won't be. Amelia asks that you continue to surround her family with love."
A celebration of Amelia's life will be held on Saturday in Hibbing. Minnesota's medical marijuana law has grown to include 13 medical conditions. Thirty states have now passed similar laws.
