Look who's back..back again...Jahi's back...

Published

Mom did come out about a year ago (she is 15) and announced to the world that Jahi had gotten her period and had started puberty. I guess she did that as a demonstration that she was not brain dead.

Mom means well to Jahi, but if my mom got in the media and announced to the world that I got my period, I WOULD come back from the dead (if I wasn't already) and have a little chat with mom!!

Announcing to the world that your daughter just got her period just isn't normal but really nothing in that family is normal. She must need more $$$ for another Michael Kors spree... Just let her go... *sigh*

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.

Thank you, Horseshoe!

I did not know it all... at least that makes it clear why the vent appears to be set with rate and pressure. But it also makes the whole picture even more macabre. Poor parents, and poor girl.

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Specializes in OB.
Her family isn't paying for her care we are! She is in New Jersey getting free medical care through Medicaid because of a legal loophole her family is exploiting. They are claiming a religious exemption to the belief that Jahi is dead so that they can get all her bills paid by Medicaid, free to them but expensive to you and I! The family wants to continue all the free medical care and still move back to California lol can you imagine??????

The Columbia School of Law has some info here-- The Death Exemption: Jahi McMath & the Right to Life after Death | Public Rights Private Conscience Project

Thanks for the info. I live in NJ and was unaware of any of this. I wonder how they transported her from CA to NJ if her doctors in CA were refusing to PEG/trach her for this purpose? And I must say I'm floored that after 2 years of brain death the rest of her body hasn't shut down either. I can't imagine being the nurse who has to care for her at this facility and deal with her family. How sad for everyone involved.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
Thanks for the info. I live in NJ and was unaware of any of this. I wonder how they transported her from CA to NJ if her doctors in CA were refusing to PEG/trach her for this purpose? And I must say I'm floored that after 2 years of brain death the rest of her body hasn't shut down either. I can't imagine being the nurse who has to care for her at this facility and deal with her family. How sad for everyone involved.

"This report describes the brain autopsy of a boy who at age 4(1/2) years experienced an episode of fulminant Haemophilus influenzae type b bacterial meningitis, resulting in massive brain destruction and the clinical signs of brain death. However, medical intervention maintained him for an additional two decades. Subsequent autopsy revealed a calcified intracranial spherical structure weighing 750 g and consisting of a calcified shell containing grumous material and cystic spaces with no recognizable neural elements grossly or microscopically. This case represents an example of long survival of brain death with a living body."

Apparently 2 decades of somatic support. Eyes were even glued shut at one point

https://hods.org/pdf/Long%20Survival%20Following%20Baterial%20Meningits-Associated%20Brain%20Destruction1.pdf

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Specializes in Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.
With regards to the CPAP comment, she is most definitely currently trached. you can see in the picture tubing, plus, you can see that the vent is on in the picture

CPAP can be delivered via trach and by vent, but I don't believe for a moment that that she'd have a sufficient respiratory drive for that. I'm not sure if that home vent is capable of doing it either (I would think it could). Plus, even though it's not clear, it looks like that home vent has a rate set (far left green value).

I asked a physician when this first happened how long her body could survive. He told me decades with the right support.

I hope that one day her family will be able to heal. Opportunism has severely interrupted their process of grieving.

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CPAP can be delivered via trach and by vent, but I don't believe for a moment that that she'd have a sufficient respiratory drive for that. I'm not sure if that home vent is capable of doing it either (I would think it could). Plus, even though it's not clear, it looks like that home vent has a rate set (far left green value).

I asked a physician when this first happened how long her body could survive. He told me decades with the right support.

I hope that one day her family will be able to heal. Opportunism has severely interrupted their process of grieving.

IIRC, even her family has admitted that she remains vent dependent.

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Specializes in Psych, IV antibiotic therapy med-surg/addictions.

You just wait, their almighty god will heal her and wake her up any day now. Any day now....#sarcasm

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This is just such a sad story.

It is heart breaking to see how much the family struggles and holds on to the believe that the girl is still alive.

I am confronted with decisions from patients and their families that are based on religious beliefs. While I am always respectful of decisions there are days where I definitely have problems to follow the logic of some of them. Having said that - it is almost impossible to change a person's opinion when they declare "religion" or "belief" as an underlying motivation.

If somebody is waiting for a miracle or sign from a higher power I usually say that if a higher power chooses to perform a miracle or give a sign - it will happen despite everything else. If the 90 + years old patient signs DNR/DNI and a miracle is supposed to happen - it will happen one way or another (despite a DNR/DNI). If ,on the other hand, the expectation of a miracle is wrong - additional suffering from resuscitation efforts will be prevented...

Sometimes families fall into some kind of compulsive state in which their whole purpose in life, activity, and such is being devoted to this one cause (to keep somebody"alife", keep fighting the law...) and attain a "higher purpose", attention, and some secondary gain by proxy.

Dead or not - it is just very sad.

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Yes, I also noticed that, she is always buttoned up pretty tight for a girl that is on room air and regulating her own temp.

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A few months ago they went to court to try to convince the judge that Jahi is alive. If she were alive, they can bring her home to Cali and they can sue for unlimited millions. Since she is dead, they must stay in one of the 2 states that make legal exemption for someone claiming that their religion does not accept brain death as true death, and they cannot sue for more than $250k. Everyone thought that the courts would uphold the death certificate and that she would finally be allowed to RIP. Instead, judge Freeman said basically 'if she is alive, prove it'. They went back to court and instead of offering proof they filed a request to bifurcate the case in order to establish malpractice without first determining life or death.

So, basically, they are admitting (without admitting it) that they have no proof and the girl is dead. So far all they offer as proof is reports of menstruation that cannot be proven, claims of breast development that can be disproven because they posted photos that proved she had breasts pre-death, and some hokey undated manipulated videos showing reflexive movement. As for her "maturing"--I don't think so! She was morbidly obese pre-op and she is losing weight due to wasting. Get rid of all that fat, and she is going to look more mature!

Here is the article explaining what they are trying to do now:

Medical Futility Blog: Jahi McMath Family Moves to Bifurcate Trial

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