Family vows to keep fighting for medicinal cannabis

Alex Renton used to be obsessed with the benefits of medicinal cannabis. “He would follow me with his laptop around the lounge, he’d say I want you to read about it,” his mum, Rose Renton recalls.

Mars (fighting, courage) conjunct Kronos (authoritative positions, laws, legislators, governmental leaders, events through people in the public eye). 

Rose and her daughter Jessie read some of what Alex was researching, it was interesting, but wasn’t relevant to any of them at that point. No one was sick, but they did all believe in alternative ways of healing.

Now, Rose plans to dedicate the rest of her life fighting for what she ended up publicly battling for, for her son.

Alex Renton passed away a week ago, after being in hospital for three months, sedated with a range of drugs to stop him having seizures. The cause of the seizures was never diagnosed.

Alex turned 19 in the hospital, through his whole time there, he had family at his side.

Rose and Jessie battled the hospital and the Government to allow him to be treated with a medicinal cannabidiol oil, and after 66 days in the hospital, he was given it. A first for New Zealand.

But the battle is far from over.

“Supporting the law change around medical cannabis - that is as important if not more so than it was during Alex’s illness, because I know Alex would want us to make a difference for others, so no-one suffered, or to alleviate suffering for others through that, so a new quest.”

Those three months in hospital were difficult and heartbreaking, Rose says.

“But the last thing I said to Alex in Nelson was ‘I won’t leave you’ and I didn’t - neither of us did.”

In the days leading up to his death, he opened his eyes, had shed some tears, and had focused at one point, but the sedation was still heavy.

“He definitely knew we were there, and I think he knew it was his time to die,” she said.

“It was quite a graceful, beautiful passing of Alex, he certainly wasn’t suffering, he just drifted which was nice for us after so long.”

Rose was right next to him, telling him “'you are beautiful, we are proud of the life you led and you will never be forgotten’, and that we loved him.”

“I think his body had decided that was enough and had been through enough. He went quite rapidly downhill on the Wednesday, his breathing changed to a very slow, shallow breath. We knew he wasn’t choosing to stay.”

Alex grew up on homeopathic remedies and Rose knew he would not respond to conventional medication.

“We fought for Alex because we adored him and I think any family would do a similar thing if they were given that chance. I think Alex’s sickness went for so long so we could do something positive with something so tragic for us.”

If the option was there for the medicinal cannabis early on, she would have taken it, and says Alex would have too.

While it may not have saved him in the end, she said it would have been gentler on his body.

Alex was a “fit, healthy, beautiful young man.

"We have lost him and that hurts, but he would also want us to continue educating others around what happens in the medical field, and how much education needs to happen across the board, because I think people need an option, not just a chemical one.”

After a month in the hospital, Rose applied for legal guardianship over Alex so she could refuse some of the medical treatments.

She wanted others to be aware they can do this.

“If you feel strongly about your loved one you need to make sure you have the legal rights to make choices around their health,” Rose said.

“I don’t think our only options should be chemical drugs… if we end up somewhere where medicinal cannabis can make a difference then that option should be given alongside these other medicines.”

Jessie still hadn’t got her head around losing her younger brother, while Rose says his was a strong presence, “a person you felt safe around.”

They had been looking through old photos and baby books of Alex.

Rose wrote in the book 'Alex would make any mum want 10 more of the same baby’.

“He was just beautiful, and cute and always happy.”

The family were holding a public memorial service for Alex this Saturday, from 11-1pm at the Broadgreen House rose gardens in Stoke.

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Source: stuff.co.nz