Charlotte Figi, the girl who inspired Charlotte’s Web CBD oil, dies at age 13

(WBTV) - The 13-year-old girl who inspired a popular strain of CBD oil died Tuesday from complications of an illness.

She lived in Colorado, but many WBTV viewers might know her because she had become the face of CBD oils around the country.

Her name is Charlotte “Charlie” Figi. She is who inspired arguably the most popular and successful strain of CBD, called “Charlotte’s Web.”

She was a child with so many seizures and so much suffering, with no other medicines ultimately working, that her mother got fed up and began working with a group of guys to help grow and create a strain of medical marijuana that removed most of the stuff that would get you high (the THC), and kept the stuff that helped a body stay mellow and calm (the CBD).

Charlotte was a test for this strain of CBD oil. It worked so exceptionally well on her for so many years, her mother Paige became a strong advocate on Capitol Hill, and Charlotte had the medicine named after her.

I know personally of families in Charlotte whose own children have used "Charlotte's Web" and swear by its success.

I met up with many of these families years ago when doing intense stories for WBTV News - that included traveling to Colorado to visit the greenhouse where “Charlotte’s Web” was being made - on the push to legalize CBD in North Carolina.

Many of these local families are heartbroken tonight.

One mom, who is chair for the CMS Exceptional Children's Parent Advisory Council tonight, Abby Childers, just emailed.

“Last night the world lost a beauty,” she said. “We thank her for saving the lives of so many others, by letting her suffering be shown so everyone else could find a solution. It will be five years on May 13th since my husband and I first gave our daughter, Bethany, her first dose of Charlotte’s Web CBD. We were hours away from losing her and she was in Hospice care. Yet after one dose we started seeing a difference in our daughter. Without Charlotte and her amazing mom Paige, Todd and I are certain that Bethany would not be with us today. We will be forever grateful to that amazing and strong little life girl for saving our daughter, and so many other kids.”

You can find more on the Charlotte’s Web CBD Facebook page right now. Including this powerful line:

“Charlotte was 10 feet tall and carried the weight of the world on her shoulders.”

Paige had also been updating her social media these past few days saying the whole family had gotten a virus, and though Charlotte was getting better, she then had to be rehospitalized this past weekend when her fever spiked. She died Tuesday.

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