British teenager survives terminal cancer after his mother secretly gave him cannabis

In a testimonial book about how her son escaped cancer, The boy in 7 billion,Callie Blackwell exposes the drastic decisions she had to make to save her son.

Deryn Blackwell, a young British boy, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010 when he was just 10 years old. 1 year later, doctors detected a second cancer, Langherans cell sarcoma, so rare that only 5 people in the world currently have it.

The fact that he had both cancers at the same time makes his case truly unique.

Deryn began treatment: radiotherapy, chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. But after 4 years, nothing worked. His situation gradually worsened: he was infused with morphine, could no longer eat, was covered in sores and had lost all his hair. The doctors told his mother that if nothing improved in two weeks, he would be placed in palliative care.

That's when her parents, Callie and Simon, decided to look into cannabis-based painkillers. They had heard about Bedrocan, which was not available in the UK. Doctors thought it might help Deryn, but as it had not been tested on children, they could not prescribe it.

Callie and Simon decided to take care of it themselves and find some cannabis. «We made a decision that will horrify a lot of parents, and that also scared me,» she confides.

«After all, I'd never seen anything positive in cannabis consumption, and when I worked in nightclubs, illegal drugs were my enemies. But if I could help my darling son escape his daily pain, I had to try.

Simon buys cannabis behind a gas station, then buys a stewpot and vegetable glycerine to make the cannabis tincture that will fit nicely in a spray bottle.

Callie explains, «After 10 minutes, Deryn said the pain had eased a little and he felt more relaxed, words we'd been waiting to hear for a long time.».

However, his pain returned and in 2013 he moved to a hospice where he began to prepare for his funeral.

His mother continued: «For the next few days, my priority was for him to leave with all his faculties, so when Deryn felt a pinch somewhere, I put 5 mL of tincture under his tongue and, within minutes, he was feeling better again. His mouth, fingers, stomach, gums, tongue, hips, knees, legs and back were constantly sore, so it was pretty fantastic.».

And then, recovery. With no real explanation, one of the hospital doctors informs Callie that they were no longer sure Deryn was dying. His wounds heal, his blood work improves. Then Deryn finally leaves the hospital.

«There's a direct correlation between Deryn taking his cannabis tincture and the improvement in his blood balances. When he was off it, his balances were dropping. This is evidence enough to suggest that the tincture played a vital role in his recovery. I never imagined in my wildest dreams that it could have saved Deryn.

Deryn is now 17, with a girlfriend and the normal life of a teenager his own age. The transformation of her once sickly son still seems to move Callie. But above all, it's a testament to the fierce love and determination of an extraordinary mother.

«I'm not here to say that cannabis can cure cancer or that it's a miracle drug. But it did help Deryn and I think we need to ask, «Could this help other people too?» I think we need to do more research into what cannabis can do.».

The Boy in Y Billion will be published on April 6, available pre-order here