State to reimburse cost of medicinal cannabis for Ava Twomey

A mother who campaigned tirelessly for the State to licence and fund cannabis oil treatments for her severely epileptic daughter has finally had her dream come true.

Vera Twomey was contacted at the weekend by both the HSE and the Department of Health and told the State will reimburse the cost of medicinal cannabis, which she sources in the Netherlands, for the treatment of her eight-year-old daughter Ava, who has Dravet’s Syndrome.

While Ms Twomey will continue to have to travel to the Netherlands to collect the medication, she will no longer have to cover the cost of the oils, which come in at up to €5,000 every three months.