Posted on 02/11/2006 12:30:34 AM PST by kathsua
A Local Family Facing A Life Or Death Decision For A Toddler Feb. 9
The power of prayer and the race against time. The family of a local toddler who nearly drowned is fighting a new battle, one that may require a life or death decision.
Life hangs in the balance for two-year-old Brett Shively. Family and friends turn to a higher power for support. They have set up a website http://web.mac.com/brettjr/iWeb/Pray%20for%20Brett%20Jr/Welcome.html dedicated to the toddler and the power of prayer.
His family makes a passionate plea for people to pray like they've never prayed before. The doctor told them, "I am here to serve the living." He has already written off Junior as dead.
Two-year-old Brett Shively nearly drowned in a bathtub at a Haysville home on Saturday. Paramedics rushed him to the hospital, not breathing. At Wesley, doctors revived him and he has been critical ever since.
Pictures on the website show his tiny body with tubes keeping him alive. Now Brett's family says they are in a race against time.
Paperwork states that the hospital or parents can get a second opinion from another doctor according to the web log. If that opinion lines up with the first doctor's then the first doctor can override what the parents say and do what he wants.
Wesley Medical Center says that is not the case. All of this is in reference to little Brett's life support. Online, the family says they now have 72 hours to find a second opinion that says Brett will live.
We tried to contact the Shively's through their church. The Living Word Outreach on Hillside has supported the family around the clock. A spokesman said nobody could speak on camera.
We also contacted Wesley Medical Center, which gave us this statement:
"We understand this tragic accident has left this family distraught, and patients and families are entitled to a second opinion if they disagree with their attending physician. The medical staff will use appropriate testing to determine the Shively baby's level of functioning and will discuss the results with the family before any action is taken."
Brett's family calls him a very affectionate child, loving hugs and never turning away kisses. He has an older brother & sister, ages four and five. They and thousands more are praying for a miracle.
Thursday doctors will sit down with the family and go over options at hand. Bret will turn three years old on February 24th.
This doc should have gotten a second opinion on vocational choices.
...that link doesn't work :(
I can't see how anyone would let a 2y/o drown in the bathtub. Looks like the baby was not breathing for a long time.
Those poor parents. What a personality shattering thing.
I also pray that a doctor that would make a statement such as this The doctor told them, "I am here to serve the living." He has already written off Junior as dead put a knee down and ask forgiveness before he ever touches another child, and that much wiser and competent physicians take his place.
Even if the child's prognosis is dire, he should immediately recuse himself from this case, if for no other reason than to save the hospital millions of dollars.
Put the question in front of a jury, was the doctor likely to exert every option, seek guidance from every expert, conduct every test to save this child, or did his comments betray the fact that he had given up and wasn't going to bother anymore.
Looks like keeping the parents alive may get tough. Can expect cycling depressions of the most extreme sort. Someone will have to watch them continuously as they fully realize what has happened.
Looking back I can see I sound callous. This is not the case. If a doctor (I am not one) cannot write off the dead he won't last. Doctors see people die every day that they care about.
The little lad's parents are different. The "what ifs", the "if I had been doing the my job he would still be alive" times will never end as long as life endures.
What you say about lawsuits is correct.
It is obvious to me that the doctor is really suffering over this, by the way. Nothing like the parents are, of course.
Bet you a nickel the young doc (most everybody is young nowadays, or maybe I am getting old) has worked really hard to save the child. Indeed, he is here to serve the living, because he cannot serve the dead. He has to be ready to help the next person as much as he is able.
Most hospitals (larger ones, anyway) have a designated person who is good at helping grieving family in times like this. That job would tear me to pieces.
BioDeathics ping...
I don't know whether he'll make it or not, but he just got a "stay" for 72 hours. 3 days, and hundreds of people praying for Junior, count me in.
This family appears to be in Wichita, Kansas. Do you have any contacts there who could help them navigate the minefield?
Prayers from TX
Please post your replies to kathsua
kathsua, My prayers going up for Brett Shively and his family. God's healing for Brett...God's comfort for his family.
Blessings,
trussell
If you want on/off my prayer ping list, please let me know. All requests happily honored.
Thank you for the ping.
Big prayers up for Junior!
Carolyn
Prayers for the child, and for the family and for all parents of infants and toddlers. A bath IS a life or death decision. There's not much info on how he "accidentally" drowned, so the first assumption is naturally that he was alone.
IMHO, if one tests God either willfully or carelessly, the answer to one's prayers is not likely to be the one anticipated or desired.
"The doctor told them, 'I am here to serve the living'."
Whoa! Pretty cold statement to make to the parents of a child in this condition. No matter the outcome of this case, there is something to be said about a kind bedside manner.
According to the website, one of the prayer requests is for activity in the "central part" of the baby's brain.
Very sad situation, but I also have trouble understanding how a not-quite-two-year-old is just "found" floating face down in a bathtub. Was he left in the tub? Did he fill it up & get in there himself?
Pinged from Terri February Dailies
8mm
What's with all the numerology? Is that a big thing with some Christians? I realize that the family must be stricken with grief, but the author of the website does not strike me as being a rational person.
Numerology?
I am a traditional Catholic myself, didn't notice any numerology or glossed over it, as of not much meaning to me.
Oh Lord we pray for this little precious boy who is fighting for his life. No one knows what life is but you Lord and I ask you for healing for this little child. Please don't let the doctors make the decision to end his life. If little Junior is to pass away let it be because you called him home. But Lord we ask that you save this child's life and ask for a miracle quickly to spare his life. We praise you and thank You for all that You do! AMEN!
I hope the baby comes through.
As far as the tub goes, he was either in it, or fell over the side into a full tub. He was left alone. That's something I never did.
You never leave a 2 year old in a bathtub on it's own for any amount of time. We still monitor our almost 4 years olds baths since he has been known to slip under the water and get swallow a bit accidentally. We never leave the bathroom when he is bathing and always are watching!
Now, my opinion on this little boy is that I have gone over the blog and his status. The doctors are saying this boy is brain dead. I know this is tough for the parents to accept but if there is no brain activity their likely isn't going to be any. The child is probably gone.
BUT, i believe it is up to the parents to decide when to let go, not the doctors. If the child had some brain activity he would have a chance, but it doesn't appear Junior has any at all. It is sad really. I hope the parents can accept the awful truth of the situation and the doctors back off and let the parents deal with this slowly. No one should be allowed to just pull a plug on a child until the parents agree to it.
Amen.
I join in urgent prayer for this child and his loved ones!
May the Lord Jesus provide comfort and resolution to this precious human being.
What a quandry. I will pray.
Prayers for this precious baby.
My prayers are with this child today, and with his family, that the Lord will intercede and grant this child a miracle.
I'm not sure what to believe when a doctor (or even group of doctors) says someone is brain dead. They have been known to be wrong. Repeatedly. On the other hand, these parents seem to be conceding that Junior is dead, and they're praying for God to bring him back to life. I'm praying for proper guidance for all involved. If Junior is alive, I pray nobody kills him. If he's dead, I pray his family is comforted.
That's correct. I'd be sorry to hear that.
" i believe it is up to the parents to decide when to let go, not the doctors."
There are 2 possibilities here. If the child is brain dead, there is no money to cover keeping whatever flesh is alive. The law says the parents have a certain amount of time to find a hospital willing to keep the flesh alive, else the hospital will pull the plug regardless. It won't be just one doc. They'll have a slew of them and probably a govm't doc.
If they can't call brain dead, then they have to keep the child alive, until the parents call it.
"doctors back off"
I'm sure they'll give it plenty of time. As I said, there'll be a whole slew of docs. Unless the child is really dead. There would be nothing they could do to prevent decay.
I pray for Brett, Jr. and his family that the doctors will have true wisdom, and that there will be comfort at this very difficult time. Jesus, you are the Great Physician! Help heal all the woundedness in that ICU room of Brett's.
Ditto, and amen!
Our prayers for this sweet child and for his parents. We ask for yet another miracle from God to save and heal this little one.
Our love and hugs......
"TT", Beth & Nana
Updates available on the link provided by spunkets in post # 7.
Prayers for Brett Shively and those around him.
Do you mean where the website writer talked about the number 3? And mentioned it was day 7- a day of rest like in the Creation account? I don't think that is numerology (the practice of fortelling the future by the study of supposedly meaningful numbers).
There are some numbers that do appear often in the Word. Like 3, 7, 40, etc. I think that Christians are mindful that they are repeated in the Bible, but don't use them to tell the future, or give them undue significance.
Perhaps Numerology is not the proper term. What I meant was that the writer kept harping on how it was the 5th or 6th day and how one was a day for mankind, another for God, etc. It seemed like superstition to me. It would seem to me, that such such superstitious people would believe whatever religion they were exposed to and not believe in it as a result of rational conviction. That being said, I truly pray that the child pulls through.
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