Rylie Maedler BY HEATHER DEROSE
The Grass Roots America Magazine Team attended the Cannabis Science Conference in Baltimore, Maryland earlier this year and saw Rylie Maedler take the stage as the Keynote Speaker on the Medical Cannabis Track. Rylie is accomplishing her goals and changing the world and laws, all while being a teenager and the CEO of her own cannabis oil company and foundation. She is an awe-inspiring activist and cannabis patient living in Delaware. She’s on a mission to share her story with the value of helping others benefit from cannabis legally. Rylie is in 7th grade and has been
using cannabis since she was just 7 years old, first trying it in 2013. We spoke with Rylie and her mother, Janie, about their journey with cannabis, how it has impacted and transformed their lives, and how it has empowered them to share their story in pursuit of their mission to improve the lives of others around the world.
“I was diagnosed with bone tumors in October of 2013, after my family started noticing that my face was looking strange and uneven. My teeth also were very loose.” Rylie said. “It took a long time to get an exact diagnosis. After many scary weeks, we finally got a diagnosis of Aggressive Giant Cell Granuloma (AGCG) and then the tumor team began planning what to do.” She was just 7 years old when she was diagnosed with life-threatening bone tumors. The extremely rare disease behaves similarly to bone cancer and causes tumors to destroy bones. “My mom had been looking into cannabis oils to help me with the tumors and decided there were no bad side effects and that she wanted me to have the best outcome.” Rylie had
surgery on her tumors and developed a severe seizure disorder ten days later. “I had a follow up MRI in December where we learned how much tumor was left behind. The normal treatment at this point for AGCG is chemotherapy or immunotherapy, but we were thankfully given a chance to watch and wait. I would start treatment once the tumor started to grow again.” Rylie’s mother, Janie Maedler, began cannabis treatment after Rylie’s MRI scan. “Right away, we noticed that my pain and inflammation got better.” She also saw improvement with her seizures. “I had regular MRI’s, and each time, the tumor left behind was shrinking, and my facial bones were regenerating at a quick rate. I ended up not needing any reconstructive surgery or dental implants as expected.” She is the only recorded AGCG patient in the world to have her bones grow back.
TODAY, RYLIE’S TUMORS ARE STABLE AND WE’RE SO THANKFUL TO HEAR HOW HER HEALTH HAS IMPROVED WITH CANNABIS MEDICINE. 37
