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Jahi McMath: Family says brain-dead teen's body may be too deteriorated to save
San Jose Mercury News ^ | 06 Jan 14 | Lisa M. Krieger and David DeBolt

Posted on 01/07/2014 9:43:49 AM PST by Drew68

A day after winning the three-week battle to take their brain-dead daughter from Children's Hospital Oakland, the family of Jahi McMath conceded Monday they are losing the ghastly war against nature.

Her body, checked in at an undisclosed care facility Monday morning, has deteriorated so badly, that "Right now, we don't know if she's going to make it," said attorney Christopher Dolan.

"She's in very bad shape," he said. "What I can tell you is that those examinations show that her medical condition, separate from the brain issue, is not good."

Dolan's frank and sober assessment echoes a Friday legal declaration by Children's Hospital Oakland critical care pediatrician Dr. Heidi R. Flori, who opposed surgical insertion of a feeding tube because the girl's body was deteriorating.

(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: deathpanels; jahimcmath; mcmath; medicalabuse; starvation; waronchildren
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Many of the questions asked on other threads on this topic about the effects of brain death to a body and how long life support can be maintained are explained in this article.
1 posted on 01/07/2014 9:43:49 AM PST by Drew68
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To: Drew68

She was starved for 27 days.


2 posted on 01/07/2014 9:45:56 AM PST by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
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To: Drew68

This is all so sad. I know how the parents must be feeling.


3 posted on 01/07/2014 9:45:59 AM PST by billhilly (Has Pelosi read it yet?)
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To: Drew68

There is NO ONE more Pro-Life than me. In this case I would advise the family to cease all external processes and comfort this child and let her into Jesus’ Welcoming Arms. Sad Situation Indeed.


4 posted on 01/07/2014 9:47:29 AM PST by US Navy Vet (Go Packers! Go Rockies! Go Boston Bruins! See, I'm "Diverse"!)
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To: Drew68
IMO, if there is proved brain death and the body can not sustain itself without machines, game over.

If this wasn't a child there would have probably been a living will in place before this operation.

Tragedy, but the parents have dragged this out and tortured themselves more than they needed to IMO.

My prayers and best wishes to the family.

5 posted on 01/07/2014 9:47:32 AM PST by A CA Guy ( God Bless America, God Bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
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To: Drew68

My heart goes out to them.


6 posted on 01/07/2014 9:48:47 AM PST by null and void (It is as if they all had one head. Too bad they donÂ’t all have one neck.)
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To: cripplecreek

She was brain dead for longer than 27 days.


7 posted on 01/07/2014 9:49:04 AM PST by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: US Navy Vet

The child has already went on to Jesus. Its a tragedy but she was dead after her heart stopped and the ensuing brain damage.

This is only about the body.


8 posted on 01/07/2014 9:50:29 AM PST by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: Drew68

Continued Prayers for Jahi and her family..


9 posted on 01/07/2014 9:50:36 AM PST by DivineMomentsOfTruth ("Give me Liberty or I'll stand up and get it for myself!")
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To: cripplecreek
She was starved for 27 days.

Read the article. This has nothing to do with it. Her brain is completely dead and has been ever since she went into cardiac arrest. Her body couldn't have absorbed nutrition even if they had fed her.

10 posted on 01/07/2014 9:52:59 AM PST by Drew68
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To: billhilly

They should have accepted reality in the form of expert medical professionals’ declarations: their daughter is dead and has been so for some weeks.


11 posted on 01/07/2014 9:53:00 AM PST by OldPossum ("It's" is the contraction of "it" and "is"; think about ITS implications.)
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To: driftdiver

Last time I checked there was more to the body than just the brain.


12 posted on 01/07/2014 9:53:11 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation

Why yes there is. Can the body survive without the brain? has someone invented an artificial brain?

This is a tragedy but we all die.


13 posted on 01/07/2014 9:54:41 AM PST by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: cripplecreek
She was starved for 27 days.

In addition to being denied antibiotics for a serious infection, for the purpose of causing organ failure.

14 posted on 01/07/2014 9:56:11 AM PST by Navy Patriot (Join the Democrats, it's not Fascism when WE do it, and the Constitution and law mean what WE say.)
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To: Drew68

In THIS case, the poor girl has no brain activity, and is only alive because of mechanical ventilation. There are cases, like this, where death has already occurred. Modern medicine is a blessing and a curse. There now exists the ability to keep a the body alive of someone who is well and truly dead. This is a very sad situation.


15 posted on 01/07/2014 9:57:50 AM PST by LeonardFMason (LanceyHoward would AGREE)
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To: gas_dr; goodwithagun

Ping. Lots of interesting medical info in the main story.


16 posted on 01/07/2014 9:58:29 AM PST by Drew68
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To: Drew68

This story is so sad.

I know it is horrible what the family has to go through, but had they let her go earlier they might have taken some comfort knowing she could have saved another innocent child from death by donating her organs when it was much more feasible to do so.

That would have been some comfort to me at least.


17 posted on 01/07/2014 10:01:32 AM PST by Abathar (Proudly posting without reading the article carefully since 2004)
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To: A CA Guy
IMO, if there is proved brain death and the body can not sustain itself without machines, game over.

I'm not a medical expert so I cannot comment that way, but I lost my younger brother to a massive brain aneurysm in August of 2012, and have family with medical backgrounds who went through painstaking detail in explaining to me how my brother's body was shutting itself down after brain death - despite being on life support.

Once the brain stops functioning and communicating with the rest of the body, it's only a matter of time before major organ failure sets in. Either way, death is imminent. It's just a question of time.

I certainly have sympathy for Jahi's family. I agree with you that it's a tragedy that they've dragged this out so long and tortured themselves. No one wants to lose their child -- especially after a surgical procedure that's so routine that it's literally inconceivable that someone would die because of it.

18 posted on 01/07/2014 10:01:56 AM PST by usconservative (When The Ballot Box No Longer Counts, The Ammunition Box Does. (What's In Your Ammo Box?))
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To: driftdiver
I'm not sure if she went on to Jesus if she wasn't baptized and there hasn't yet been a funeral for her. It is my personal belief that some souls hang around for awhile. Does anybody really go to Jesus until after the final judgment?

Anyway, there is a doctor who was brain dead, claimed to go to heaven. It's on YT somewhere. He came back and tells what he saw.

Our local talk host says he wasn't in heaven even though he claims he was. I'm going to try to take time to call and ask him why he holds that opinion.

St. Paul said he was caught up into the third heaven and it wasn't lawful to tell what he saw.

I do understand that the deceased could be on a vastly different timeline, like there is no time; everything is now.

19 posted on 01/07/2014 10:02:34 AM PST by Aliska
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To: US Navy Vet
There is NO ONE more Pro-Life than me. In this case I would advise the family to cease all external processes and comfort this child and let her into Jesus’ Welcoming Arms. Sad Situation Indeed.

Christians believe we must respect life until its natural end. From everything I have heard, this poor girl's life has already reached its natural end some time ago. She is being sustained by machines and she would quickly pass away if not for very active mechanical and medical support. I don't believe this is a "right to life" issue, but of course am willing to be corrected.

20 posted on 01/07/2014 10:04:08 AM PST by PGR88
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