The Patriarca family calls themselves American medical refugees. Stefany and Christian Patriarca, and their children Aliana, Giovanni and Sofia, uprooted from Florida and replanted themselves and the family business here in Colorado Springs nearly a decade ago to access medical marijuana for the youngest child, Sofia.
When Sofia was just a few weeks old, she began having seizures – sometimes suffering 100 seizures a day. Sofia was diagnosed with both epilepsy and cerebral palsy.
“Doctors told our family Sofia wouldn’t live past one year,” Aliana remembered. “But she’s 12 now!”
The Patriarca’s Florida pizzeria was called A Bronx Tale. In Florida, though, patients and their families do not have the same options for alternative medical treatments that Colorado offers. While selling their pizza restaurant was a possibly risky move, the Patriarcas knew their daughter would benefit from medical marijuana.
“It has been amazing,” Aliana said. “Sofia started taking the Charlotte’s Web strain of medical marijuana, and she has moved to another strain now, but her seizures are down to two or five a day.”
Charlotte’s Web is a widely publicized brand of cannabis – created over a decade ago with comparatively low THC levels – credited with helping make the marijuana compound CBD more accessible to seizure patients and those with other health challenges.
The Patriarca family’s love for pizza and serving up slices didn’t end with the sale of A Bronx Tale. Stefany and Christian opened Slice420 in 2017 in Old Colorado City. Their goal was to combine winning recipes with the mission of educating the community on the importance of legal access to alternative medicine, including marijuana. (“420” is, in fact, slang for cannabis consumption – though Slice420 does not sell any products containing marijuana or marijuana compounds.)
According to Slice420’s website, “Pizza is the platform; Change is the Mission!”
Aliana can be found working at the Old Colorado City store; a second Slice420 location on Oro Blanco and North Carefree opened in November.
A highlight of the Slice420 menu is their signature pizza sauce, which, as the menu boasts, contains only four ingredients.
Aside from helping operate two pizzerias and caring for Sofia, who uses a wheelchair and is nonverbal, Stefany actively gives back to the community. While she lists Certified Nurses Aid on her Facebook page as her occupation, Aliana says that is just one part of Stefany’s advocacy for Sofia.
“Mom is a coach for Challenger Baseball,” Aliana told me. “It’s this really casual baseball league for kids with special needs.”
She said that Sofia’s wheelchair can be pushed around the field, an example of the accommodations that Challenger Baseball makes to include children in the games.
Aliana added, “My mom is also a board member for Cool C.A.T.S. It’s a way for all of us at the restaurant to give back to this community.”
Cool C.A.T.S. is an acronym for Children of All Types Succeeding and exists in partnership with The Arc of the Pikes Peak Region. Aliana and her mother are passionate about Cool C.A.T.S. because the group advocates for both disability services and inclusivity. The group’s Facebook page lists many upcoming opportunities, including a movie night and a camping trip.
For a complete list of Cool C.A.T.S.’ family-friendly activities, and to see why Slice420 and the Patriarca family support this organization, visit TheArcPPR.org/CoolCats.
For more on Slice420, go to Slice420.com.
