Family wants to keep life support for girl brain dead after tonsil surgery #1

[Donjeta]

The pastor said the reason for canceling the fundraiser was they didn't want to raise money for something that wasn't ironclad but this article tells a different story.

“And when she does wake up, she's going to shake up a whole lot of people around here who didn't believe what I said,” said Nailah Winkfield, McMath’s mother.
The church was originally going to host a fundraiser to help with the cost of moving McMath to a new facility, but the event was canceled because the family’s online campaign had already raised the needed $20,000.

http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local/family-brain-dead-teen-now-has-no-options-relocati/ncYD8/

 

[EmmaliLucia]

Family running out of time to move Jahi McMath

"I was informed, you know, via the attorney to not have the fundraiser because we're still trying to solidify a facility for Jahi and we definitely don't want to raise funds, you know, for something that is not iron clad," Pastor Derrick Mann said

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=9375308

Hmmmm.... Interesting that the attorney advised against "fund raising" for a facility that doesn't exist.

I think he knows that the "Facilities" are not actually lined up like the family has said and didn't want to go down for fraud

 

[BeginnersLuck]

This reminds me of other cases where I've seen people become so "strong willed" about something, that they don't take time to process the overall big picture, especially in this case what the future holds if Jahi were to be kept on the ventilator, given nutrition and all sorts of medication to sustain her organs.

I am very upset at the way the hospital has been portrayed by the family, their attorney and the media. They have tried to bully them into going against their policies and performing surgery on Jahi's body. "If" they were to have performed this surgery on her body in a weakened state and her heart stopped functioning, then they most likely would be accused of doing something purposely. They have already been accused of wanting to stop the ventilator because of cost and cap on malpractice suits.

It's very telling that there has been no transfer to another facility nor a physician step forward to perform these procedures. It's not just this hospitals policy, it's apparently across the board.

I cannot put two and two together to understand why, if the family is so distrustful of this hospital, they would even want her kept and treated there this whole time.

Considering grandma is a nurse, she would be informed about the ways hospitals operate, the condition of Jahi and the surgeries that were performed on Jahi. She has stood by and backed these decisions.

I think there is more that hasn't been made known about Jahi's condition before surgery and what was done when complications arose after the surgery. I also think there may be a underlying reason that isn't so apparent for the families choice of actions.

This isn't the only case that I'm following now, where families and media have been very outspoken, but do to privacy issues, agencies are not allowed to disclose pertinent information.

It's not fair that everyone doesn't have a even platform to speak from, while agencies get defamed by the public and the media.

 

[txsvicki]

I think the whole hospital/ nurse verses body torturing family drama is ridiculous. Most people accept that people are dead when the brain ceases to function, but not all. Not all religious sects accept it either, but most do. If the person is dead then what's the harm of having special hospice settings for those in this situation who want to wait until the heart stops on the ventilator. There wouldn't be many making use of something like that. What is there to be so afraid of for lawmakers and hospitals to not even consider the option.

 

[Karmady]

Home care provided by the family is different than a business being PAID to take care of her.

You can take care of your loved homes at home in many situations, give them shots and meds and such. Now if you wanted to get PAID to provide injections and such to friends or neighbor that is where being licensed comes in. If you aren't licensed it is illegal.

Just like people can care for their dead at home in many states however you can't open a mortuary in your garage and get paid for the services for taking care of the neighbors dead. It matters whether it is offered as a professional service.

I wonder if the grandmother would qualify and if they will try that approach now that all of the other supposed options have failed. jmo

 

[Elley Mae]

]Keeping it in perspective[/B], the family stated that they had a facility lined up, that insurance was willing to cover all costs, that transportation was available and that the coroner had signed off on their plan. The hospital responded with two conditions: that they speak with someone at the facility that would accept her, and that they are informed of transportation arrangements. This is where it all fell apart. This is when we learned that none of the family claims were true.

BBM Oh I'm trying really, really hard I am. You just don't know, or maybe you do. :moo:

 

[MyBelle]

Perception is in the eye of the beholder. Without more evidence that the Chief of Pediatrics was out of line with this family, I cannot accept the family's version of events as completely accurate.

They are angry, grief stricken, and very entrenched in painful denial. None of those things contributes to accuracy and clarity in perception. They had to be told MULTIPLE times by MULTIPLE people that their child has died. And they still refuse to accept that. So I have doubts about their version and interpretation of the behavior of the Chief of Pediatrics.

I'm really sorry you had to work with such difficult docs. That experience seems to have negatively shaped your perceptions of all health care providers. Thankfully, "difficult doctors" are a real rarity nowadays.

Why are you generalizing? I'm not generalizing at all. My experience has helped me shape my perception about the difficult doctor in this case. Evidently a difficult doctor is not only present in this case, he's been the driver. Here is the link to the Mother's declaration. It is sworn testimony. I have no reason to believe she is lying considering there were witnesses. I have no reason to doubt her perception that the doctor was condescending and made her feel "stupid." She also makes a point that others on the staff have shown nothing but compassion.

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/165738685/Declaration-of-Latasha-final

 

[sherbetjello]

Hosp rep speaking to media about Jahi mcmath. 13 year old will be taken off life supt at 5pm unless court steps in.

https://twitter.com/KRON4WTran/status/417722002246352896/photo/1

Sam singer says if there is something that the Hosp could do it would do but says the sad reality is she is deceased

https://twitter.com/KRON4WTran/status/417723291487322112/photo/1

 

[seattlechiquita]

What did they claim that has been found to be untrue? Has the coroner denied signing off on a plan?

That there is no facility willing to take on the dead body of their child. They were not able to provide the name of the facility at the request of the hospital.

They have not asked the coroner anything, since they mistakenly believe their child is alive.

 

[MyBelle]

That there is no facility willing to take on the dead body of their child. They were not able to provide the name of the facility at the request of the hospital.

They have not asked the coroner anything, since they mistakenly believe their child is alive.

The attorney told the media the coroner approved of the move to another facility. I have no reason to believe he is lying.

 

[Donjeta]

No doubt it's her perception but I'm not really sure what the relevance of Durand's character is. So let's say that the doctor is an insensitive jerk. Maybe all the doctors in Children's are insensitive jerks. That still doesn't mean that Jahi will come back to life if she's just kept on a ventilator for long enough.

 

[seattlechiquita]

The attorney told the media the coroner approved of the move to another facility. I have no reason to believe he is lying.

Which facility? the hospital asked repeatedly for a MEDICAL contact in whichever facility so transfer of the body could be coordinated and the family has not seen fit to reply. So no, I do not believe one word this lawyer says.

 

[MyBelle]

No doubt it's her perception but I'm not really sure what the relevance of Durand's character is. So let's say that the doctor is an insensitive jerk. Maybe all the doctors in Children's are insensitive jerks. That still doesn't mean that Jahi will come back to life if she's just kept on a ventilator for long enough.

From the various statements she has made both in her declaration and to the media, the mother gives me the impression she believes Dr. Durand was being a jerk because he wanted to cover up whatever it is that happened. iow, the family believes Jahi's condition is a direct result of either malpractice or worse, intentional negligence.

 

[MyBelle]

Which facility? the hospital asked repeatedly for a MEDICAL contact in whichever facility so transfer of the body could be coordinated and the family has not seen fit to reply. So no, I do not believe one word this lawyer says.

I have no idea which facility. I don't believe one word the hospital say.

 

[Karmady]

No doubt it's her perception but I'm not really sure what the relevance of Durand's character is. So let's say that the doctor is an insensitive jerk. Maybe all the doctors in Children's are insensitive jerks. That still doesn't mean that Jahi will come back to life if she's just kept on a ventilator for long enough.

I can't even imagine what it would be like to be in his shoes and have to deal with this type of behavior in a professional setting where rational decisions need to be made in at least a somewhat timely manner. Imo, someone really should have stepped up and stopped enabling this mother for her own good and everyone else's. jmo

 

[Donjeta]

The attorney told the media the coroner approved of the move to another facility. I have no reason to believe he is lying.

Dolan also told the Associated Press on Friday that he had already obtained signed consent from the coroner for Jahi's transfer.

The Alameda County Coroner's Bureau said it had no comment.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...y-found-for-calif-teen-on-ventilator/4231147/

If he told the truth about getting the signed authorization, and I don't see why he would lie about something that the coroner could so easily disprove, it's extremely odd to me that he didn't forward said authorization to the hospital to facilitate the transfer.
It makes me wonder if he's really seriously after getting Jahi transferred after all or if he's playing some other game.



http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/No-medical-center-lined-up-for-Jahi-McMath-s-body-5100141.php

Children's lawyer Douglas Straus said in his letter to Dolan on Sunday that the hospital requires three conditions to transfer Jahi, including assurance the new facility "understands the current condition of the dead body and what is being done to maintain it under Judge Grillo's temporary restraining order"; there is lawful transportation of the body; and authorization from the coroner to transfer the body.

"The family has not identified any facility with which Children's can have this dialogue," Straus wrote. "Nor have we been provided with a transportation plan or coroner authorization."

 

[Trino]

I have no idea which facility. I don't believe one word the hospital say.

Maybe you'll believe the family when they say there is no place that will take this child. There are facilities that would take someone in a coma or someone who is in a veggie state, but because this child is brain dead, there is no facility that will take her. This speaks loudly.

 

[Donjeta]

From the various statements she has made both in her declaration and to the media, the mother gives me the impression she believes Dr. Durand was being a jerk because he wanted to cover up whatever it is that happened. iow, the family believes Jahi's condition is a direct result of either malpractice or worse, intentional negligence.

Maybe it was. We don't know at this point. This still does not mean that Jahi will recover if left on the ventilator.


I don't think that taking Jahi off the ventilator would accomplish anything in terms of covering up malpractice. It would just get her on the medical examiner's table a little faster and give the family more evidence for a lawsuit a little sooner.

 

[Karmady]

From the various statements she has made both in her declaration and to the media, the mother gives me the impression she believes Dr. Durand was being a jerk because he wanted to cover up whatever it is that happened. iow, the family believes Jahi's condition is a direct result of either malpractice or worse, intentional negligence.

Not to be argumentative, but her statements gave me a different impression entirely. It sounds to me like the mother is angry with Durand for treating her like her belief that Jahi is living rather than dead is "stupid." And also with his failure to stop insisting that she is dead, emphatically, when she believes otherwise. jmo

 

[K_Z]

I think the whole hospital/ nurse verses body torturing family drama is ridiculous. Most people accept that people are dead when the brain ceases to function, but not all. Not all religious sects accept it either, but most do. If the person is dead then what's the harm of having special hospice settings for those in this situation who want to wait until the heart stops on the ventilator. There wouldn't be many making use of something like that. What is there to be so afraid of for lawmakers and hospitals to not even consider the option.

They have considered the option. They ARE allowing it. No one is willing to do it.

I have to wonder why someone like Dr. Byrne has spent a 50 year career pontificating about these issues, but hasn't taken the initiative to start care centers for the bodies of the brain dead.

It's easy to blame and bully and have opinions, and write blog posts. It's far harder to take the initiative and the responsibility for carrying out the difficult work to do something like start care centers for brain dead patients. As an MD, he could have done this and been the champion for his principles. But he hasn't. That seems pretty hypocritical to me. What has he done to help this family besides writing a blog post? Has he helped them find a facility and a doc to take her body? I don't think so.