After breaking her femur in 2018, my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. We were thrust into a multi-year journey, with me as her primary caregiver, that felt like being in a perpetually shaken snow globe while trying to find your balance. The rollercoaster of ups & downs stemming from watching someone who means the world to you have to navigate the medical system, juxtaposed with witnessing medical racism, and feeling frustrated and exhausted was all-consuming.

But I can’t even begin to imagine that same journey without the support of cannabis throughout it. From assisting with appetite stimulation when my mother’s weight dropped down to 106 lbs, to applying industrial-strength pain relief topicals to soothe her chemo-induced neuropathy, weed was an intrinsic and paramount source of help.

My mother’s chemo sessions ended around the time I accepted an Event Manager position with a cannabis delivery startup in San Francisco. I had never imagined I would work in cannabis, however, I was excited to apply my skills and experience in crafting creative and educational narratives through experiential events and storytelling.

I received my educational onboarding from Nurse Practitioner Eloise Theisen, a board-certified Adult Geriatric Nurse Practitioner who specializes in cannabis therapy. What I learned helped me understand the complex and dynamic ways plant medicine can change our lives medicinally and recreationally. 

The global racial awakening in 2020 set in motion my own journey. It allowed me to realize that I needed to leave an environment where I was not being treated with respect or fairness. Additionally, I began to examine how I could best serve communities I was passionate about that were beyond the scope of what my current company was prepared to serve.

On Sunday, March 7th we learned that my mother’s cancer had returned. It felt simultaneously gutting and terrifying, as well as exhausting. We weren’t sure what to prepare for, but I knew in my heart that I could not be there for my mother in the way I needed and wanted to be while dealing with unchecked racism and harassment at the executive level at my job. On Monday, March 8th, without the safety net of a job in place, I gave my two weeks’ notice.

I know I should have felt scared, but in truth, I felt free. It’s amazing how serendipity steps in when we amass the courage to say “no” to what’s not working for us. I got a call from an industry colleague who wanted to put on a cannabis event together for 420, and thus birthed Collective High.

Collective High events are incredible at providing entertainment and education for the canna-curious and canna-confident crowd. However, what I noticed is that there is still a strong need for a basic level of cannabis education for those who aren’t familiar or comfortable with cannabis so that we can destigmatize usage and have people making informed and empowered decisions. I founded The Weed Doula as a means of providing a level of individualized education that I do not see readily available to the public.