Just months after her daughter’s passing, Penny Howard visits Dr. Manny Alvarez to talk about the experience of donating their daughter Harper’s brain and tissue to genetic research at UCSD.
Penny Howard, a Texas mother who has become a vocal advocate for HempMeds®, was featured recently on Health Talk with Dr. Manny Alvarez on Fox News. In the segment, which aired August 4th, “Harper’s Legacy: Family Donates 5-Year-Old’s Brain to Science After Death From Rare Condition,” Dr. Manny and Penny discussed her daughter Harper’s diagnosis with the rare genetic condition CDKL5 and the decision to donate her living brain and tissue to help further research into neurological disorders.
“It’s extremely encouraging to see a reputable health professional and journalist such as Dr. Manny Alvarez feature a story on Penny Howard,” said CEO of Medical Marijuana, Inc. Dr. Stuart Titus. “We applaud Penny’s courage to continue sharing her daughter’s story, and as we’ve seen time and again in legalization efforts across the nation, families of young children with special needs are helping drive the conversation around cannabis reform by sharing their stories.”
Throughout her young daughter’s life, Penny regularly posted Harper’s experiences on the Hope4Haper blog, including her daughter’s love for riding horses and how she was named the 2015 Miss Texas Princess Cover Girl.
Penny’s blogging about Harper’s journey was the unexpected impetus for Brazil’s historic decision to import and subsidize Medical Marijuana, Inc.’s RSHO™ under the Brazilian government’s health care system and would lead to other Latin American countries similarly following suit.
Unfortunately, Harper Howard passed away on Jan. 8, 2016, months shy of her 6th birthday, due to unforeseen medical complications.
However, as Penny illustrated to Dr. Alvarez, her daughter’s legacy lives on through their decision to donate Harper’s samples to medical research at UCSD. Harper’s 28-month daily use cannabidiol (CBD) hemp oil brain is unique in its contribution to this field of study. According to lead stem cell researcher Dr. Alysson Muotri, Harper Howard’s donation is already having a profound impact on medical research for a wide range of neurological disorders at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine.
To see the full video of Dr. Manny Alvarez’s Fox News Channel interview with Penny Howard, visit FOXNews.com’s Health section.
