Jahi McMath case in California

[Coconut Flan]

The news articles that still address the family seem to be getting increasingly negative. I hope someone is trying to counsel the mother and I, too, check daily to see if the sideshow has ended.

[starfish]

The uncle tweeted something about "get those dollars up".

[Buzzard]

The uncle tweeted something about "get those dollars up".

Thats seriously disgusting

[Coconut Flan]

The uncle has seemed more about the money and notoriety than Jahi since this all began.

[salex]

The uncle has seemed more about the money and notoriety than Jahi since this all began.

The older sister had a birthday-- yesterday, I think-- her main issue was she didn't have a date on her birthday--per twitter. It also appears she lost a pregnancy in November and may not be close to her family, based on some of the posts. I am not great with twitter... twitter.com/briazaire

[teachergirl]

I found "Keep Jahi McMath on Life Support" FB page. It has over 18000 supporters and many of them are delusional.

Apparently her uncle has tweeted she is "doing better". I am not sure what will make them stop this charade..... and the fact that so many people believe them and not medical science is scary.

[Coconut Flan]

I saw her uncle's tweet and was so tempted to ask him how a corpse "improved." Just how could she improve? Stabilize her deterioration is the best they could manage I expect. I'm with the group of show me time validated video or it isn't happening.

There is gossip that she's in a children's facility in Phoenix. It's usually used for respite care for children with life threatening diseases.

[Stephanie66]

I found "Keep Jahi McMath on Life Support" FB page. It has over 18000 supporters and many of them are delusional.

Apparently her uncle has tweeted she is "doing better". I am not sure what will make them stop this charade..... and the fact that so many people believe them and not medical science is scary.

It is very easy to disregard science for "faith." Look at all of the people who believe in Creationism and that we don't have any global warming.

There are probably more than 18K people who believe the earth is flat or that the sun revolves around the earth.

Plus, Teri Schiavo's family has involved themselves to say that Jahi is in the same situation as Teri was--even though Teri was never brain dead. So that adds confusion to the whole thing among the pro-life crowd.

[RosyDaisy]

It is very easy to disregard science for "faith." Look at all of the people who believe in Creationism and that we don't have any global warming.

There are probably more than 18K people who believe the earth is flat or that the sun revolves around the earth.

Plus, Teri Schiavo's family has involved themselves to say that Jahi is in the same situation as Teri was--even though Teri was never brain dead. So that adds confusion to the whole thing among the pro-life crowd.

Not for my family. My mother didn't have a living will. After a lengthy illness, her body just gave out and she slipped into a coma. She went into cardiac arrest and was revived. The doctors told us there was no hope for recovery. We all knew Mama would not want to suffer like that, she told us that a long time ago. We were given a private room to talk it over, and our minister prayed with us. We all agreed that Daddy should sign a DNR order. It was our faith more so than medical science that led us to that decision. And my family is pro-life (except for me).

[twinmama]

Not for my family. My mother didn't have a living will. After a lengthy illness, her body just gave out and she slipped into a coma. She went into cardiac arrest and was revived. The doctors told us there was no hope for recovery. We all knew Mama would not want to suffer like that, she told us that a long time ago. We were given a private room to talk it over, and our minister prayed with us. We all agreed that Daddy should sign a DNR order. It was our faith more so than medical science that led us to that decision. And my family is pro-life (except for me).

Ah but your family was able to take rational science and medicine into account with your faith. You trusted what the doctors said and took into account what the actual person in the situation would have wanted. Jahi's mom is not doing any of that. She's only taking into account what she wants. I can't imagine any person at all would want what they are doing to Jahi. Who would and why?? I understand wanting a second opinion, I understand not wanting to be an organ donor (though I am and I am 100% for organ donation I know not everyone is), but I do not understand believing impossible fantasy and completely disregarding reality. Nor do I understand why people are supporting the delusion or why the law is allowing it.

[Coconut Flan]

I think he sums up the situation well. What does this mean in the future and the implications of that.

http://www.independent.com/news/2014/ja ... dead-dead/

[starfish]

That article points out that, if families get to define death instead of doctors, they may say someone's dead

before they are really dead.....

I keep thinking Jahi's family actions are not only despicable for her memory, they have some ugly ramifications for

other cases.

I don't know if they are motivated by money, religion, grief or abject stupidity, but their actions mock that beautiful girl's life.

[Black Aliss]

I saw her uncle's tweet and was so tempted to ask him how a corpse "improved." Just how could she improve? Stabilize her deterioration is the best they could manage I expect. I'm with the group of show me time validated video or it isn't happening.

There is gossip that she's in a children's facility in Phoenix. It's usually used for respite care for children with life threatening diseases.

They began claiming a day ago that Jahi's hypothalamus had begun to function again, because her body was regulating its own temperature. I remain skeptical.

[Coconut Flan]

I saw that and wondered about it. It was reported from that extremely pro-life doctor who said he couldn't examine her because he isn't licensed in California and supposedly that happened in early January.

[LaLele]

I am not a doctor, but I have had a few neuro graduate classes. I would have my doubts that her hypothalamus suddenly started working. With brain matter, what is dead is dead. Yes, neuroplasticity exists and is amazing, but some areas of the brain are too specialized to have other areas take over. I don't know enough to say it could never ever happen, but I would be really surprised if she was truly self regulating.

As macabre as it would be, I would be interested to see a CAT scan of her brain... I bet the coroner will would be fascinating.

[bionicmlle]

They began claiming a day ago that Jahi's hypothalamus had begun to function again, because her body was regulating its own temperature. I remain skeptical.

Do you have a link? My google-fu seems weak and I couldn't find anything.

[Coconut Flan]

It was Dr. Byrne made the in this post: renewamerica.com/columns/byrne/140118

[uber frau]

At the Trials and Tribe site there's some speculation that it's simply decomposition. The notes published some weeks ago report that her gut was sloughing off. If they've gone and PEGed her (as reported by the family) and they're fillling her up with Jevity(or equivalent), well, 'eww' is all I can say.

[ILoveJellybeans]

I doubt her hypothalamus is working again. Her brain is essentially a puddle in her skull.

[Buzzard]

It was Dr. Byrne made the in this post: renewamerica.com/columns/byrne/140118

While it is true that Jahi was not self-regulating her body temperature for most of December, a sign of lost hypothalamic function, there is also the later, additional fact in that regard... the fact that keeps getting publicly ignored. Direct observers, including at least one doctor, had noted in early January that Jahi had actually regained her ability to self-regulate core body temperature. This empirical "data point" is rendered increasingly significant in its dynamic of sudden reappearance. In other words, that function of the brain had actually restored itself to working order, and did so weeks after that particular brain function had earlier supposedly stopped. That is remarkable. Such a dynamic, or trend, of "restored" brain function extraordinarily, scientifically, is not consistent with "irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain," but rather suggests a degree of recovery from brain injury. And that recovery is in spite of some extremely poor care this young girl was being given at the first hospital facility, where they insisted and persisted in withholding needed interventions before and even after there were such signs of restored brain activity. The "poor care" I am referring to here is the prolonged starvation; the protracted and unnecessarily repeated apnea testing conducted in a potentially deleterious manner; the deprivation of needed thyroid medication; refusing to treat an adrenal gland problem that arose; et cetera.

Whether or not Jahi's hypothalamus, part of her brain, continues to function; whether her brain further heals or degrades over the coming period; whether or not the first hospital had further harmed her recovery chances in their practice of starving and depriving her – irrespective of all of that – Jahi and her family still deserved the chance to explore and become informed about some of the possibilities that other doctors believed to exist for this beloved family member. Given that what the family wanted was simply the reasonable choice of obtaining alternate expert opinions at an unrelated facility, in order to more assuredly gain closure one way or the other, then that is what they should have received.

Homeostasis does not equal life. Failing to provide nutrients to a corpse does not equal starvation. There were no "possibilities" for the family to explore, the child is dead. No amount of experts, machines, facilities, or tubes will change that. Jahi deserves the exact OPPOSITE of what is being done to her at this point.

[keen23]

That article points out that, if families get to define death instead of doctors, they may say someone's dead

before they are really dead...

There are strong cases to be made for legalized euthanasia. My aunt had early onset Alzheimer's, and by age 65 was needing assistance for even basic functions. Since she turned 70, she's basically been in somewhat of a vegetative state. She's awake, and sits propped up in a chair, but has no ability to do anything. That's no quality of life.

[NellieBell]

Does the family still have the donate button up? This whole situation is so messed up. Whole brain death is death. Dead is dead. If this case results in families determining what death is, my career in nursing is over. I will not provide care to the deceased. That's what the funeral home is for.

[AmericanAmigo]

I don't blame you.

[anjulibai]

Her body temperature could be higher because of decay, both of her body and the food they are pumping into her.

Honestly, if she's doing so well, why don't the release pictures or video?

[Becket70]

Since there is always an economic aspect to these situations, what are the economic ramifications if families get to decide when a patient has died? Who is paying for all this care? Insurance companies will opt out right after the doctors claim a patient is brain-dead. Right now, Jahi's family has economic support to continue down this road. What about the next family that wants to make the decision but does not have the means to provide continuing care? Will it be dependent solely on who can afford it or will they expect the government, through Medi-Caid or Medicare to pick up the tab? That would mean that available funds would be funneled to care for deceased individuals rather than the living. The economics of this decision is something that must be addressed. Talk about a slippery slope...