A MOTHER WHO has been campaigning to get her daughter access to medicinal cannabis has made it to Tipperary as she continues her 260km walk to highlight the case.
Last night, Vera Twomey arrived into Cashel where she was met by supporters, many of whom have decided to walk with the Cork woman to support her.
They are due to set off again at 9.30am this morning.
Vera Twomey began the 260km walk from her home to the Dáil as a protest against decisions to restrict her daughter Ava, who has rare form of epilepsy called Dravet’s syndrome, from accessing the drug.
Speaking as she walked into Cashel yesterday evening, Vera said that the support she has received has been overwhelming but that it changes nothing unless the law is changed.
She said: “We really appreciate your support. Please contact your TDs. We need the law to be adjusted. {Health Minister} Simon Harris sent me an email last night outlining he knew the stress I was under. I would question that strongly. I don’t know if he appreciates the stress we’re under.
We’d never ever had done something like this unless we were backed into a corner. We need urgent attention to this matter. I’m so worried. I beg you all to come and walk with us a bit of the road.
Vera has been in a number of meetings with Harris and has tried to get the Minister to allow Ava access cannabis-based medicine on compassionate grounds. Ava, who would have suffered dozens of seizures on a daily basis, has had access to CBD oil costing around €300 a month.
CBD is a cannabidiol and is legal in Ireland because it does not contain any THC, the psychoactive part of the cannabis plant. Vera is campaigning for access to the full range of cannabis-based medicines.
Last week, Twomey released a harrowing video of Ava suffering a seizure to TV3 and, , spoke to Ray D’Arcy on RTÉ radio following her meeting with Harris, where advocates Gino Kenny TD and Anne Rabbitte TD were also in attendance.
Twomey added that, despite the high profile that Ava’s case has garnered in recent months, nothing had really been done to change the situation she was in.
When Twomey and her husband, Paul, released the video to TV3, they said they had reached their “last straw” and felt like they badly needed something to be done.
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