Proof of Life: Brain Dead Girl Purportedly Moves on Command

[Bill]

Posted: 12:34 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014


Video appears to show 'brain-dead' girl move arm upon request
By David Stevenson

KTVU - Oakland
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. —
The family of 13 year-old Jahi McMath on Friday presented video that they said is proof the girl was misdiagnosed as brain dead and should be declared alive.

The footage shows the girl lying in a bed as her mother coaxes her to wiggle her foot or her hand. And in at least two points in the video, it appears the girl responds to those commands.

"I talk to Jahi and she responds. So I said she can't be brain dead if she's responding," said McMath's mother Nailah Winkfield. "Yesterday, I asked her to move her thumb and she moved her thumb for me."

Alameda County issued a death certificate after the girl suffered complications from sleep apnea surgery at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in Oakland last December. Her family fought to keep her on life support and moved her to New Jersey. Lawyers for the family say EEG and MRI tests performed at Rutgers University Medical School show her brain has not liquefied under life support.

"She's had a severe brain injury but her brain is there," said attorney Chris Dolan. "Where Children's Hospital said she was rotting and it would come out her nose."

Jahi's family is now seeking an Alameda County Court order declaring the teen alive. The hope is that such an unprecedented declaration could pave the way for a move back to California, which might lead to her medical costs being covered by the state or the hospital.

A hearing in Alameda County Superior Court is set for October 9th. In a statement, Dr. David Durand, the Chief Medical Officer for UCSF, said "We trust that the California courts, the Alameda County Coroner and the State of California will evaluate any claims made by the family's attorneys and decide them in a lawful and just manner."
- See more at: Video appears to show 'brain-dead' girl move arm upon request | www.houstonseagle.com

Video at link.

[sanchez]

Makes sense. Our brain dead Vice President has been moving on command for years.

[markids77]

I have no words. I feel for the surviving family, but I sincerely hope my family would have let me pass well before a year in limbo.

[MEC5LADY]

As much as I feel for the family, I would have to see a longer video showing me that she follows commands. The video is too short to say she is actually moving on command. Experience has taught me that even patients who are brain dead can have involuntary muscle spasms which families mistake as the patient following commands.

[OddBall]

I didn't know a brain-dead actually meant that the brain was actual dead tissue, and that it would decompose.

Evidently, that hasn't happened with her?

[LilRedCorvette]

Originally Posted by MEC5LADY

As much as I feel for the family, I would have to see a longer video showing me that she follows commands. The video is too short to say she is actually moving on command. Experience has taught me that even patients who are brain dead can have involuntary muscle spasms which families mistake as the patient following commands.

That was my initial thought as well (involuntary muscle spasms)

[RED-85-Z51]

The physical brain is living tissue, as long as it gets oxygenated blood, the tissue will remain alive, assuming there is no infection present.

Im guessing, the mishap during surgery was, they deprived her brain of oxygen either by loss of blood flow (bleeder), or loss of ventilation....This would have physically damaged her physical brain matter.

Our brain functions by sending messages all around back and forth along paths...these paths require prime, healthy living tissue.

If her brain stem is intact, she can be supported on a vent indefinitely...in a vegetative state. If her brain however, has experienced tissue death to any degree, its only a matter of time before the dead tissue spreads and poisions her, to the point she not only loses her brains higher functions as her cerebrum fails, but her cerebellum and eventually the brain stem itself fails, and the heart stops...

If she can react to stimuli, auditory commands, and physically react to them, it would lead one to beleive that her higher functions are to some degree intact still.

A good friend was in a terrible car crash and had severe head trauma, was in a coma for months..they said her nerve paths were severed in her cerebrum and her higher functions were gone, she was simple "there"...she could breath, heart beat...if they poked her foot, it might twitch, it might not...

A year after coming out of the coma, they found that her brain had, sort of rewired itself, seemingly bypassing the damaged pathways and utilizing previously unused, or repurposing less important pathways..7 years later, she can walk, talk, type, there is obvious signs of brain trauma...but she was still in there, her personality was kept intact, the human body, and the human brain has unimaginable self preservation abilities...

[onedef92]

Originally Posted by markids77

I have no words. I feel for the surviving family, but I sincerely hope my family would have let me pass well before a year in limbo.

Wonder how much it costs per day to sustain life support? Upwards of $30K and junk?

[Barn Babe]

So, when you're dead does your brain really liquify and come out your nose???

Very sad story.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by RED-85-Z51

The physical brain is living tissue, as long as it gets oxygenated blood, the tissue will remain alive, assuming there is no infection present.

Im guessing, the mishap during surgery was, they deprived her brain of oxygen either by loss of blood flow (bleeder), or loss of ventilation....This would have physically damaged her physical brain matter.

Our brain functions by sending messages all around back and forth along paths...these paths require prime, healthy living tissue.

If her brain stem is intact, she can be supported on a vent indefinitely...in a vegetative state. If her brain however, has experienced tissue death to any degree, its only a matter of time before the dead tissue spreads and poisions her, to the point she not only loses her brains higher functions as her cerebrum fails, but her cerebellum and eventually the brain stem itself fails, and the heart stops...

If she can react to stimuli, auditory commands, and physically react to them, it would lead one to beleive that her higher functions are to some degree intact still.

A good friend was in a terrible car crash and had severe head trauma, was in a coma for months..they said her nerve paths were severed in her cerebrum and her higher functions were gone, she was simple "there"...she could breath, heart beat...if they poked her foot, it might twitch, it might not...

A year after coming out of the coma, they found that her brain had, sort of rewired itself, seemingly bypassing the damaged pathways and utilizing previously unused, or repurposing less important pathways..7 years later, she can walk, talk, type, there is obvious signs of brain trauma...but she was still in there, her personality was kept intact, the human body, and the human brain has unimaginable self preservation abilities...

OK, who hijacked Red's account?




Edit: Red, in all seriousness, sorry that happened to your friend, and I'm glad she was able to somewhat recover from that tragedy.

[onedef92]

the human body, and the human brain has unimaginable self preservation abilities...

"I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well." Psalm 139:14

[NCC-1701]

Originally Posted by sanchez

Makes sense. Our brain dead Vice President has been moving on command for years.

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by onedef92

Wonder how much it costs per day to sustain life support? Upwards of $30K and junk?

Yeh, right, OVERCHARGING because they CAN GET AWAY WITH IT!!!!!!