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​‘Gogglebox's’ Steph And Dom Explore Medical Marijuana For Epileptic Son In New Documentary

Mark Cunliffe

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​‘Gogglebox's’ Steph And Dom Explore Medical Marijuana For Epileptic Son In New Documentary

Featured Image Credit: Channel 4

Steph and Dom Parker have become used to letting viewers into their home whether it be through Gogglebox or on B&B show One Star To Five Star.

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However, this time they are letting viewers in on their personal journey to help their son who has severe epilepsy and autism.

In Channel 4 documentary Can Cannabis Save Our Son? Steph and Dom will introduce their children, Max, 18 and Honor, 15, to the cameras for the first time.

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It will show the family exploring the healing effects of medical marijuana for those who suffer with epilepsy.

Max was diagnosed at just four-years-old and can have over 100 seizures a day. He has a Vagus Nerve Stimulation implant to help control the seizures and also takes a cocktail of strong drugs each day.

Steph and Dom want to help their son Max with his epilepsy. (Credit: Channel 4)
Steph and Dom want to help their son Max with his epilepsy. (Credit: Channel 4)

Max also has severe autism, which means he has the mental age of a six-year-old.

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In the documentary, the couple will travel the UK and visit America to meet other families who are seeing the outcome of being prescribed cannabis oil.

Speaking to Mail Online, Steph said: "I want to make this clear straightaway, this is not a scientific documentary, it is a personal film.

"We just wanted to explore the issues, talk to people and collect anecdotal information."

 Max was diagnosed aged four and can have over 100 seizures a day. (Credit: Channel 4)
Max was diagnosed aged four and can have over 100 seizures a day. (Credit: Channel 4)
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She added: "That is what you do if you are the parent of a chronically ill child.

"You are not online at midnight shopping on Zara, you are online at midnight doing this kind of thing."

Through the documentary, the couple are hoping to clear up some of the misconceptions about medicinal cannabis.

Steph added: "People say to us: 'Are you going to give your child cannabis?' No, we are not!

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Viewers will be introduced to the whole family for the first time. (Credit: Channel 4)
Viewers will be introduced to the whole family for the first time. (Credit: Channel 4)

"Medicinal cannabis is produced in laboratories and all the psychotics and hallucinogens, anything that some might regard as the fun stuff that gets you high, all that has been taken out."

Dom added: "A bit like alcohol-free lager."

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Throughout the documentary Steph and Dom never speak of a miracle cure, but say that they simply hope for a reduction in the number and intensity of Max's seizures.

Dom says: "That alone would be bloody incredible."

Steph and Dom just want a reduction in Max's seizures. (Credit: Instagram/ Steph and Dom)
Steph and Dom just want a reduction in Max's seizures. (Credit: Instagram/ Steph and Dom)

He continued: "Put it this way, he is unlikely to suddenly pop up and say to me, 'By the way, dad, remember on my 12th birthday I said no to cake and you gave me cake and I didn't want it?' No, we don't expect anything like that.

"It was a big moral decision. Should we expose the most vulnerable part of us and our vulnerable son and our vulnerable family like this?"

Steph added: "But we felt compelled to. Even if I didn't want to do it because I wanted to hide under a stone, I felt I had to.

"To understand the need for the drug, you have to understand the condition. I doubt there will be another cause as powerful or meaningful or as honest."

Steph & Dom: Can Cannabis Save Our Son? airs on Channel 4 at 9pm on Monday, 28th January.

Topics: TV News, TV Entertainment

Mark Cunliffe
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