Brain dead in Oakland--what's your take?

I think the hospital pushed too fast, the parents needed time to grieve but the hospital bean counters wouldn't give them that time -- now it goes to court and everyone looses.

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We are going through something similar right now. My little cousin tried to commit suicide by hanging on Christmas eve. There was severe brain damage and they told my family he was brain dead (although later they admitted he had part of his brain working, about the size of a half dollar coin) and that they needed to take him off life support. Of course, my aunt is not willing to let her son go easily. He's been on it a week longer than he should and we've all been telling her it's not fair to let him be like this. Finally, today, everyone went to say their goodbyes. Someone needs to be the voice of logic when it comes to grieving families. Perhaps the family above, as was mentioned, needs their family clergy or a friend to help them through this decision. Thankfully my family had myself and an uncle to keep things in perspective because losing a child is something that a lot of people can't understand. They can't understand the way the mind works and these poor parents just keep waiting for this miracle that will never come. My concern for this family is that years will pass and it will always follow them since it created such attention nationwide. I would hate for closure to take longer than need be all because they were trying to do what was best for their child.

Every time they talk about this on the news, they show the girl's picture. A twinkle in here eye, beautiful smile, she was a lovely child. It is so sad for the parents. It does sound like they need to turn off the support and let her go. They should have been counseled by the hospital staff with some sensitivity, not given an ultimatum. Just a tragedy all the way around.

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It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with the simple pleasures and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong.
Laura Ingalls Wilder

I think it's a case of a family in MASSIVE denial.

There's not enough information to say what is right.

The hospital claims that the kid is brain dead but they didn't say how they came to that determination.

At least one physician who has reviewed the case is not convinced, but we don't know that person's motivation or training.

I hope and pray that when the time comes to let go, they will give the ultimate gift of organ donation.

This will not be possible, because her organs will have deteriorated.

I think the hospital wants to bury their mistake.I don't know what I'd do in the family's situation..

Here is the latest news I could find and it has information there about how the hospital came to the determination of brain death: http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/06/health...rl-brain-dead/

Funds were raised and the girl was released from the hospital to a coroner and then the coroner released her to her family who took her to a private, anonymous rehabilitation facility where she is being kept on life support.

I just mentioned on another board that this whole thing is starting to remind me of those baboon mothers who will carry their dead babies around until the body literally falls apart.

I am a DNR (Do Not Recissatate (sp?))

Family knows it.

If one of my children had something like this happen, I would pull the plug.

It would hurt and haunt me, but I would.

How many pro-abortion folks are for leaving her on life support?

(not being snarky, just a ?)

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Roger

Good question. Probably not many pro-abortion people would want to keep a brain dead person on life support. Anti-abortion (pro-life) people might feel differently though and want to maintain life support.

So since you brought up the issue of abortion, here's another tragic brain-dead situation happening in Texas.

A 20 weeks pregnant woman has been brain dead since November and it's estimated she (and the fetus) may have been without oxygen for at least one hour before she was found collapsed on the floor. The family wants her taken off life support but the fetus has a heart beat so the hospital is keeping her on life support until the fetus can be delivered. It's a state law to keep her on support but they can't do a viability test on the fetus until it is 24 weeks along.

What I'm curious about is who is going to have to pay for the costs of keeping her on life support against family wishes? And after the viability test if the state decides to continue life support - if the baby is delivered and it turns out it has been brain damaged or otherwise disabled from the previous lack of oxygen and other possible trauma who will be responsible for the baby's health care and special needs financial costs once it is delivered?

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...icle-1.1575444

Except they don't say what actual tests were used. There are very low tech tests to look for blood flow and brain electrical activity and there are very high tech tests and as eager as the hospital was to pull the plug it's doubtful that they did the high tech (ie expensive) ones.

Realistically given the length of time, most likely the hospital is right but even if they can't show any negligence on the part of the doctor or hospital a kid on a ventilator is a sad story to tell a jury and they will be getting a very large bill.

I am not pro-abortion, but I am pro-choice and feel that the parents should come to the decision to end the child's life if they believe that there is no hope. However, I don't believe that the hospital that harmed her should have any say in pulling the plug.

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~TheMartianChick~

My latest novels:
Bystander: A Tale of the End of the World as SHE Knew It!

Christmas in Bystander & Other Village Tales

Coming Soon: A Slice of Heaven