Valentia Valentine (Piccinini) is a highly successful and accomplished professional. A native of California, Valentia began her career in the commercial real estate industry where she served businesses throughout the Central Valley for over 25 years. Valentia has spent a lifetime giving back to the many charities and she has become synonymous with philanthropy on the Monterey Peninsula. Valentia has raised over $14.5M for Make-A-Wish and other local non-profits on the Monterey Peninsula including: Multiple Sclerosis (CCQLP), Parkinson’s, Hospice Giving, Kinship Center, Monterey County Food Bank, Women’s Gathering, CASA, Transitional Veterans, Boys & Girls  Club,  Rancho  Cielo, California  Partnership  for  Youth  (CPY), AIM, Meals on Wheels, and  many  other  local organizations.

 

In 1989, after suffering from symptoms that her doctor first thought to be a brain tumor, Valentia received the diagnoses that would forever change her life: Multiple Sclerosis, an unpredictable and often disabling disease of the central nervous system. This was a devastating diagnosis for an older mother and career professional. But Valentia refused to be a victim of the disease and instead, began to learn as much as she could about MS and treatment protocols. From traditional Western medicine to Chinese Herbal medicines, Eastern philosophies as well as mind and body practices, Valentia became a self-taught expert and holistic health advocate. Her efforts focused on ways to minimize MS symptoms, slow the progression of the disease and reduce the possibility of serious relapses.

 

By  2010,  Valentia  was  bed-ridden,  and  her  body  was  deteriorating  from  the  chemotherapy exposure,  a  modality  that  was  being  used  in  the  UK  for  MS  patients,  as  well  as  from  the progression of her disease. After four broken bones and a torn rotator cuff, Stanford hospital suggested she go to Santa Cruz to obtain her Medical Cannabis recommendation card. Valentia was  shocked,  and  truthfully  horrified  due  to  the  stigma  of  using  a  drug  that  was  typically associated with “stoners” in the 70s. She was concerned about her ability to function as a mom to her children and did not want to jeopardize their or her own overall wellbeing, due to the stigma. However, after months of research, she began to read case studies of other MS patients and their success in mitigating some of the more serious side effects of the debilitating disease. Many of these studies were conducted in Israel due to the United States stance on marijuana. Her daughter Alexandria remembers: “I was in high school when my mom got even sicker than she had ever been. We took her to the Mayo Clinic to see lots of doctors and I truly thought that her time was up. Then, when Mom tried cannabis as a last resort (it took a while to get her to loosen up to the idea), I remember coming into her bedroom and seeing her standing up. Slowly but surely, she was her old self again. It was nothing short of a miracle.”

 

Valentia’s  experience  with  medical  cannabis  was  nothing  short  of  remarkable.  While  she struggled  with  the  stigma  and  shame  of  a  drug  that  was  associated  with  the  “Just  say  NO” campaign,  she  couldn’t  deny  the  amount  of  relief  she  was  experiencing:  less  pain,  more manageable  inflammation,  improved  sleep  and  most  of  all,  improved  mobility.  Although  she never  smoked  a  joint,  she  found  great  relief  using  alternative  methods  of  delivery  including tinctures, topicals, capsules, edibles, and concentrates. Once confined to a wheelchair because of the crippling effects of MS, her energy and zest for life returned as she was engaging in life more  fully–  she  was  walking  again  with  a  walker  and  now  with  only  a  cane.  Valentia  was 

compelled  to  educate  and  heighten  awareness  for  the  local  patient  communities  and  felt  a passion and determination to open a cannabis focused wellness center to help free others from the pain, anxiety and sleeplessness coupled with various disease states.

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After nearly a decade, Valentia’s determination to educate the community dealing with chronic pain started her cannabis activism and she worked tirelessly to open Synchronicity. After being defeated in 2010 and 2014 by the Monterey City Council, Valentia applied for the first Mutual Benefit Non-Profit Corp from the State of California and was the first to get licensed to sell cannabis by in-home consultation and delivery. Pioneering medical cannabis in the city of Monterey, she started Synchronicity Holistic in September 2014 and became dedicated to bringing top quality lab-tested medicine and care to the Monterey Peninsula’s patient community, including children and seniors.

 

The significant results of Valentia’s usage of cannabis coupled with her intrinsic nature to help others, she realized that she needed to give back and change the public perception of medical cannabis. She attended conferences in CO, WA, OR, Israel, and panels at Stanford, USC, UCLA, became a voracious reader on the subject, and a member of the NCIA, CannMed, National Hemp Association and Women Now Association, but she felt compelled to do more.​

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Synchronicity  is  a  trusted  and  convenient  provider  of  cannabis-based  medicines  and  holistic health solutions focused on safety and improved quality of life for its members. After nearly a decade,  Valentia’s  dream  had  been  fulfilled.  Synchronicity  Holistic’s  outreach  programs  have demonstrated true  altruism with  her selfless concern for the wellbeing of  the vulnerable  and often marginalized members of her generation: the senior patient community. Our team consists of pharmacists, nurses and patient educators to help you take the mystery out of which products will provide you the most effective remedy for your personal needs.