Adopting Love: How Cannabis and Compassion Created My Family
All Photos Courtesy of Mike Robinson
Many will say that a person doesn't have to be biological to be a father, which has always seemed like an odd statement until it became one of my own. Back in 2016, on the compassion trail where I traveled giving away Cannabis oils in copious amounts to patients in need, I came across Genevieve after her mom contacted me, and what's known as the Cannabis Love Story by many began.
Genevieve, a 13-year-old with severe Autism and Epilepsy, was the patient that August day back in 2016. Her Mother, Anne Mari, made contact by social media messenger the night before, unaware that the supplier of the oil she sought for her daughter's severe intractable Epilepsy was only a few hours away.
Genevieve's life had significant challenges; she reacted to vaccines at only 2.5 years old and sunk deep into the world of Autism - a similar story shared by millions of others across America that have children like her. Genevieve lost the ability to speak and walk well and eventually became so developmentally delayed that she needed around-the-clock care from her family. To top that off, her biological father overdosed in 2007, creating an even larger struggle for her mother.
When I met Genevieve, she was unable to answer questions even with a head nod, was utterly nonverbal, had few expressions, and was seizing. I administered rescue THC oils to her, stopping the seizures, and her mom then went over her pharmaceuticals. Two of them were psych drugs with seizure warnings, so we planned to discontinue them immediately. A third drug was a seizure medication to which she had terrible side effects, to the point of hospitalization – Yet it was prescribed again. I threw it away with her mom's permission.
The road of compassion always brought new faces, names, cities, states, and sometimes even countries - there were so many people in need back then that no single face stood out - until Genevieve. Over the following months, Anne Mari and I became a couple, and little sister Sydney became a new friend, always talkative with such a beautiful bright smile. Genevieve's older sister, Fatima, was in her senior year and was a bit distant, but her intellect amazed me, and we clicked.
Christmas 2016 brought with it an invitation to spend two weeks with the girls, at the house, with Anne Mari and I together as a couple. Anne Mari explained to me that Genevieve's biological father's overdose occurred right after Christmas, and being in the world of Autism for decades, I understood the challenges the family would face over the vacation and agreed to join them. In that short period, we all bonded as I worked to perfect Genevieve's Cannabis Protocol.
Anne Mari and I bonded over Humboldt County's finest, which I brought back with me from the road, and she shared some of her Santa Barbara locally grown cannabis. We had spent several hours together on three prior occasions over several days at a time - but hadn't spent the night together until then - four months after we met.
Sydney and I shared joy in Christmas activities, and we all got together for a simple holiday break, enjoying each other’s company. Anne Mari and I became a legitimate couple, and for once, I had the feeling that the cancers growing within me were backing off, proving that love is healing medicine. Our departure didn't occur until January 10th, as it felt right to be with my lady and her three girls. Who would want to leave?
Only a few days back on the road, I received text messages while off the grid. When a hippie buddy drove us into town off a hill where cannabis was growing, the signal hit, and notification sounds began pinging away. Beautiful videos came through of Genevieve and a message that she had verbalized, “Mommy”. Her sister held the camera while Gen pointed at a photo of Homer on an Ipad and verbally said, "Daddy". Then, she looked at a picture of me on her mom's phone and repeated the word again. I was on Amtrak headed back to Santa Barbara, California, within 24 hours of seeing this – a mere 14-hour journey.
She stole my heart; she called me Daddy.
Now, this was six years ago. At the time, Sydney was a Daddy's girl; her biological father was a Cancer warrior and battled like no other I've ever seen - staying alive for nearly a decade after doctors removed his nose due to radiation damage. In 2021 tragedy struck, and Sydney lost her father to surgical complications, which turned her life upside down.
Sydney needed help with her inability to sleep and also underwent evaluations for Autism, Anxiety, and Depression. Ultimately, Sydney needed cannabis extracts like Genevieve, so we got her a recommendation. One of her most significant issues was insomnia and night terrors; she needed a lot of love with a side order of plant medicine.
Keeping my distance from Sydney was always important to not overstep boundaries– this kid seriously loved her daddy– so stepping in to act like one before he passed - or even afterwards, didn’t feel right. Instead, I decided to adopt love, to take her under my wing as my daughter whether she knew it, realized it, or liked it. Sydney needed me badly; I knew it a year ago when her father passed, and even today, the feeling is so strong that I won't deny it, even if Sydney does occasionally.
Sydney and I go on 'Sunset Rides' together on e-bikes; we laugh and bicker as we're so much alike but always end it with love and hugs. We have Sunday Funday Skate Days. The entire family goes out and skates together and plays together. I'm now her Bonus Dad, but recently she asked me if it was okay to refer to me as 'Dad,' which ended in one of those scenes where you go to the bathroom to hide and cry happy tears.
This year, the grandsons came for the holidays and tore the place up as usual. Afterall, what would life be like without moments like this? There was a time back on the Cannabis Compassion trail when I was paving my way to heaven by giving away as much oil as possible before I died. I didn't think I'd even make it to 2016, let alone meet my family of 2023!
Genevieve is now 19 years old, and older Sister Fatima is 23 and has given us two beautiful grandsons - Leo and Sammy. Sydney is 12 and doing well in school thanks to cannabis medicine. She loves doing TikTok videos with me to explain to adults what it's like for her to use different cannabinoids.
I came to Santa Barbara in 2016 to help a severely autistic child who was seizing so much that she needed the precious cargo I carried. The oil I was using for cancer is what I left with Anne Marie when I first came to see her. We had no intention of creating a family unit, but destiny played its role through love and the cannabis plant. Cannabis is still frowned upon in most nations; many say the industry lacks legitimacy. People who use the plant still face stigma due to the prohibitionists of the past and those who can't face the reality of today’s progress.
There is no other industry on this planet, as far as I know, that has a love story tied to it quite like cannabis. Without our beautiful cannabis plant, the Robinson family wouldn't exist, and Cancer would likely have taken its toll.
Since Genevieve didn't respond to CBD in 2016, I had to make her a special tincture with CBGa. To this day, I credit the amount of that oil I drank while I tested Genevieve’s batch for balancing my own Endocannabinoid System. Overall, these oils allowed cannabis plant constituents to work alongside the love of my family to heal us all. Cannabis heals. Cannabis truly is love.
