Jahi McMath, the teen declared brain dead by doctors in 2013, has died undergoing surgery in New Jersey after a five-year bitter legal fight by her mother who insisted medics were wrong and she was still alive
The girl at the center of a medical and religious debate over brain death has died
New Jersey doctors declared 13-year-old Jahi McMath dead on June 22
The young girl died from excessive bleeding and liver failure after an operation
Jahi was in a vegetative state for nearly five years, as seen in hospital photos
A coroner at the time ruled Jahi dead after suffering irreversible brain damage following tonsil removal surgery
A girl at the center of the medical and religious debate over brain death has died after surgery in New Jersey, her mother said Thursday.
Nailah Winkfield said doctors declared her daughter Jahi McMath dead on June 22 from excessive bleeding and liver failure after an operation to treat an intestinal issue.
McMath was declared dead in December 2013 when she was 13 after suffering irreversible brain damage during routine surgery in California to remove her tonsils and a coroner signed a death certificate. Several specialists concurred after neurological tests.
Winkfield refused to accept the conclusion. She said her Christian beliefs compelled her to fight for continued care for her daughter, who she said showed signs of life through toe wriggles and finger movements.
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Jahi McMath, a 13-year-old girl who had been in a vegetative state for nearly five years after becoming brain dead from a tonsil removal surgery, has died, her family said
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The young girl suffered irreversible brain damage during an operation to remove her tonsils in 2013
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The above photo from Jahi's Facebook support page shows the young girl next to her mother, Nailah, while in the hospital
Winkfield flew her daughter to New Jersey, where she has remained on life support and received care in the state that accommodates religions that don't recognize brain death.
'Jahi wasn't brain dead or any kind of dead,' Winkfield said. 'She was a girl with a brain injury and she deserved to be cared for like any other child who had a brain injury.'
McMath's case drew national attention amid the debate over brain death and religious beliefs.
Conservative religious groups rallied behind Winkfield and helped raise money for McMath's continued care.
May she rest in peace, she was only kept alive physically by machines. I can't blame her mother since I believe she was in denial. I hope this will give her closure.
ETA: I reread the article and remembered those who were in a coma and woke up years later. I can't blame her for not giving up, at least she knows that she has done all she could.
-- Edited by Lindley on Friday 29th of June 2018 11:51:57 AM
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