On Christmas Day 2020, life was forever changed for the Balkin family. Aaron Balkin is the National Sales Manager here at Compliant Packaging and has been a member of our extended family since he joined the team in 2018. While opening gifts with family that Christmas, Aaron’s daughter mysteriously dropped to the ground and had to be rushed to the hospital. 
“We were opening up Christmas presents on Christmas Day, we looked over and saw our daughter on the ground,” Aaron shared. “She was shaking.”
Aaron and his family left the hospital that day with no answers. The doctors were unable to diagnose his daughter and, once stabilized, sent them home. The very next morning his daughter had another seizure, and once they arrived at the emergency room she had yet another. Aaron and his family were quickly sent to a Denver Children’s Hospital.
While at the hospital her seizures worsened over time. She was having 80-100 seizures a day that varied in type, severity and intensity. Finding an explanation was not an easy process, but Aaron’s wife was committed to finding an answer. “My wife was the best advocate for our daughter,” he said. “She did all of the research that she could, found the best doctors we could possibly see… It was really hard.”
After several hospital visits, Aaron’s daughter was diagnosed with Doose syndrome. Doose syndrome is a seizure disorder that typically occurs with no known cause and has no known cure. With his wife advocating for her needs, together their family worked tirelessly to find a viable way to manage her seizures. After trying 6-7 different medications, with no success, Aaron began to explore their options beyond traditional medicine, in the world of CBD.
Seeking Alternative Solutions
With his daughter having up to 100 seizures a day, time was of the essence. Other members of Aaron’s family had been previously diagnosed with seizure disorders. Like his daughter, Aaron’s cousins struggled to find viable treatment options. They had however found success treating their symptoms with cannabis. Encouraged by this information, Aaron began exploring CBD therapy for his daughter.
Though Epidiolex, a pharmaceutical CBD, wasn’t yet approved for Doose syndrome, Aaron and his family worked with doctors and their insurance to get his daugher approved for use. After a bit more trial and error, on September 16, 2021, Aaron’s daughter experienced her first day seizure free since Christmas Eve the prior year. After 6 hard fought months, Aaron’s daughter and his family could once again plan for a future without the emanate fear of yet another seizure.
Support from the Compliant Packaging Family
It goes without saying that this diagnosis had a huge impact on Aaron and his family. His wife was still working while Aaron juggled working-from-home and keeping an eye on his children. Thankfully, our team here at Compliant Packaging was quick to respond. From providing meals to helping support Aaron professionally, our team came together to give the Balkins the time they needed to devote to finding a treatment option.
Today we are all celebrating one year seizure free for Aaron’s daughter. We hope that stories like these will pave the way for further research and exploration in the field of medical cannabis and CBD. “I’ve always been a pro-cannabis advocate,” Aaron shared. “One of the main reasons was because of cancer and epilepsy.” Aaron was recently named National Sales Manager here at Compliant Packaging. He is continuing to advance his career and enjoying the peace of mind that his daughter has regained her health thanks to CBD.
Like Aaron, our team has a passion for the cannabis industry and we consider it a privilege to serve the organizations that are advocating for its future. We hope you will join us today in celebrating this incredible milestone. Do you know anyone with a similar story? We would love to hear from you! Please share your experiences with cannabis and/or CBD and how they have helped to improve the quality of life of someone you know or love.
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