Life has a funny way of throwing you a curveball when you least expect it, meaning that learning to cope, adapt or evolve in the face of adversity is one of the greatest skills we can develop.

That being said, sometimes we are faced with seemingly insurmountable odds to overcome and it can feel like there is no point in fighting against the inevitable. Unexpected loss, freak tragedies and unpredictable changes in circumstance can lie around the corner for any of us, and it can be a long and lonely road to recovery when disaster suddenly strikes. Back in 2011, Tony Paterson, was excited at the prospect of starting a new job.

He had managed to gain a position as a chef at a hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland, and was looking forward to proving himself in what can be a hugely challenging yet incredibly rewarding field. In a tragic turn of events, his anticipation for the potential of his dream job to lead him to a better life suddenly became a nightmare situation: a routine scan for a minor ailment lead to him being informed that he had been diagnosed as suffering from Relapse-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis just one day later. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a degenerative condition which effects the brain and spinal cord and can cause people a huge array of issues. It causes the body's immune system to attack the brain and nervous system as though they are dangerous.

Its onset can be gradual or very sudden and there is no way of knowing how much of an impact it can have on each individual. Some people will have no idea that they have the condition for a number of years and then suddenly experience a rapid decline in their physical state and their cognitive ability. For many people, the initial symptoms present in the form of extreme tiredness and exhaustion or the loss of feeling and/or mobility in their limbs. There is no definitive 'cure' for MS but research is ongoing into managing its effects and there are various treatments available to help reduce the impact of a relapse, alleviate day-to-day symptoms or to prolong periods between MS-related events.

Unfortunately, many of these treatments have significant side-effects and can require extended stays in a hospital or healthcare setting. Looking back on this period in his life, Tony recalled that he was confused by what was happening to him as could feel changes in his body but was unable to do anything about it. His vision was affected and he began to experience bouts of weakness in combination with what he referred to as 'brain fog' that had an impact on his ability to remember things and even led to confusion in relation to simple tasks.

There was a significant decline in his condition over a short space of time. His dreams of working as a chef in a busy hotel restaurant seemed to be slipping away as he found himself unable to walk without the assistance of walking sticks and even needing to use a wheelchair when it became impossible to maintain his balance or cope with the pain otherwise. As his condition was Relapse-Remitting, he could never tell what each day would bring and each relapse could present its own challenges and symptoms. Doctors recommended a number of different options, prescription medications and therapeutic avenues to explore but nothing seemed to make a marked difference to his standard of living. Soon enough he had to move back in with his parents so that they could help care for him and ensure that he got the help he needed.

Over the course of the next few years, Tony found himself increasingly losing hope in the face of seemingly endless adversity. By 2014, Tony felt like he had exhausted all of his options. He reached a point where the sheer number of tablets he had to consume was becoming too much to cope with; he had tablets prescribed for his condition that caused side effects which needed to be managed by taking additional pills, but these pills also caused side effects of their own. Motivated by the birth of his daughter, he decided that he couldn't give up on himself and began to research alternatives to the treatment pathways he had been offered by the usual channels.

After six more years of struggle, Tony managed to gain a place in a medical trial run by part of the National Health Service (NHS) which was intended to investigate the impact of cannabis on MS symptoms. The impact was truly revolutionary, not only for his MS symptoms but also in alleviating the impact of his other conditions including PTSD, Bipolar and depression. From the very first day he noticed a difference in the quality of life he was able to experience and he knew from that moment that he would never look back. While the use of medical cannabis vastly improves his quality of life, Tony explained that it doesn't completely remove the pain caused by his condition.

By reducing the impact of pain significantly, cannabis allows Tony to work through his suffering. He believes that it is far more effective than any of the tablets he was previously prescribed and the lack of negative/intrusive side-effects means that he is able to care for himself and his daughter more confidently than before. Now he lives with his daughter in their own flat instead of relying on others to help him with everyday tasks. Now he relies on his daily intake of cannabis, which he receives from Lyphe who can offer medical cannabis on the NHS via collaborations with charities and organisations like Project Twenty21. He uses around 3g of cannabis per day and is able to receive repeat prescriptions each month to help him cope with his condition. Looking back on the events of the past decade, Tony feels like he has been given a second chance at life and he hopes that his story can show others that there is still hope for them.

After exploring all of the other options, he felt like his hope was fading but now he sees a light at the end of the tunnel. Having had to overcome the bitter disappointment of losing out on his dream job, Tony is now at least able to work again and has found his freedom through exercise and spending time with family and friends. He believes that anyone else out there who is suffering from ailments which could potentially be treated with medical cannabis should explore alternatives to the standard treatments they are offered and hopes that trials of cannabis on the NHS can provide a better standard of living for many others in the years to come.