Billy Caldwell Marks 21st Birthday Seizure-Free After 2018 UK Cannabis Medicine Breakthrough
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 21
Billy Caldwell Marks 21st Birthday Seizure-Free After 2018 UK Cannabis Medicine Breakthrough
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 21
Summary
21-year-old Billy Caldwell celebrated his birthday in Northern Ireland seizure-free, a milestone his mother said once seemed impossible after doctors expected he would not survive infancy.
Hundreds of seizures a day had returned by 2016, but cannabidiol treatment first eased his symptoms in the US and later stopped them after the family secured NHS-backed access in Britain.
A 2018 Heathrow confiscation of Billy’s cannabis medicine triggered a public outcry after he was rushed to hospital, pushing the UK government to grant an emergency licence and then relax rules on cannabis-based medicines.
Billy has remained free of seizures since a brief 2023 supply glitch, and his improved balance and mobility have made him a symbol of the treatment’s impact.
NHS prescribing of cannabis-based medicines is still tightly restricted, and his mother now campaigns through advocacy group TRACD for broader, more consistent access.