I have lived with pain for 27 years through no fault of my own.  However, the medical system failed to find a therapy that would allow me to live a normal life.

I was depressed and I had no hope and at times wanted an escape form the pain…. Or at least an answer from one of my doctors.

My name is Jordan, and I am 27 years old.  At birth, as I was diagnosed with a heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot.

By my 10^th birthday, I had 5 open heart surgeries. In the process, I was infected by Hepatitis C, but I didn’t find out that I had Hepatitis C until I turned 19, by then the damage to my liver was irreversible. I had 5 open heart surgeries, stage 5 liver failure, and Cirrhosis before my 20^th birthday

I was sleeping for pretty much 20 hours a day. Every waking hour was consumed by pain.  I felt like I was going crazy.

I was not able to complete high school. I had zero strength and zero energy; I was obese, being  320 pounds in my early twenties. The weight I was carrying also didn’t help my bad heart.

Thankfully one day I put on the TV and heard a Doctor speaking about medical cannabis.

Doctor Sanjay Gupta, the respected Medical Expert on CNN, made a one hour special on the topic and how it can save lives.  I remember asking myself ‘What do I have to lose?’ and then I  started to pay attention.

The only thing my Doctors had given me to up to that point was opioids, which had horrible  side effects.  So I decided to give medical marijuana a try.

Within 2 minutes of my first puff, all the pain I had for 27 years was gone. I felt my strength slowly coming back, and I felt a rush of energy that I have never felt before. For the first time in 5 years, I slept at night for 13 hours straight. I wanted to tell everyone what I was feeling, at the same time I was terrified I was imagining this and that I would go back to how I felt before.

But it didn’t happen, I was able to go out and connect with friends. I actually had a little hope for the first time in my life

At 25 I finally found a treatment for the Hepatitis C, I was the first person in Ontario to receive the treatment pill. I took 1 pill a day for 3 months, but I was unable to feel any of the side effects of this pill because of the cannabis.

After 3 months my Hepatitis C was gone. My Stage 5 liver decreased to stage 1. My skin that had been dark yellow from my liver failure was changing to a normal complexion, and my muscle and joint pain were gone.

Still my heart was only working at %35. The doctor said that I needed another heart surgery, and he would do it, but he was unsure If I would survive the surgery because of my past health issues.

I faced death once again.

But Cannabis had inspired me to have hope for the first time and gave me the confidence to take some control of my life.

I was not going to die after finally feeling better for the first time in my life. Since I was a kid, people told me I looked like Brock Lesnar, a famous WWE fighter. He became my inspiration; I had been a fan of his since I was 12 years old. I decided that I would look like him, so I began watching his workout videos.

This lit a fire inside of me; I was determined to lose more weight. I was the most determined and focused then I have ever been in my life.

So I signed up for a 1 year contract at my local gym so that I could not get out of it without owing lots of money. I fell in love after the first day; I actually went back a second time that day because the Cannabis made me want to work out. I ended up working out every day for 5 months; I did 2 hours cardio in the morning and 3 hours at night of weightlifting.

At my first trip back to the doctors I stepped on the scale, I weighed in at 240 pounds. My heart percentage increased drastically from highly dangerous to normal. My lifestyle change had improved my quality of life so much that I no longer needed the 6th open heart surgery. I still needed a replacement valve, but they were able to do it by using a catheter.

For the first time in my life, I was completely healthy. My hepatitis was gone, I didn’t have a heart condition to worry about, I was not overweight, and my liver had improved.

After finding out that news I went back to the gym and hired a personal trainer. I was more driven than ever to improve my life. I stayed with him for one month and continued to go to the gym every day.

Today I weigh 209 pounds; I lost 100 pounds in 9 months. I am in the best shape and state that I have ever been. I truly attribute it to cannabis, as everything that has improved in my life is a direct result.

I am in zero pain and suffering, I sleep a healthy amount, and I enjoy life to the fullest.

I hope my story inspires you and helps you fight through the struggles that you face. Please remember that no matter how bad life gets you have the power to turn it around.

Jordan’s story is just one of the hundreds of impactful and life-changing stories that I encounter every day. My patients have had their life changed by switching to cannabis.  If you are struggling, or are in desperate need of help or advice please send me an email at Andrea@scratchrecovery.com