Jahi McMath (13) died for real five years after she was declared brain dead following surgery complications

[*crickets*]

They can't be that dumb. They just can't.

Wanna bet?

January 7, 2014

REUTERS--"The goal is for them (the new center) is to give her treatment to help her get to full recovery," Jahi's uncle, Omari Sealey said.

An extended-care facility on New York's Long Island, the New Beginnings Community Center, has offered to care for the child. But it was not immediately clear if McMath's family had accepted the offer.

Sealey said on Monday that the Long Island facility was among dozens willing to admit his niece, but declined to disclose what facility had taken her in, saying the family had received threats of violence since McMath's story became public.

Physicians at the new care center planned to perform surgeries on the girl, including a tracheostomy and gastrostomy for breathing and feeding, Sealey said.

McMath has not been fed since the day before she was admitted to Children's Hospital four weeks ago, and nutrients would be needed for any rehabilitation, he added.

Sealey said initial doctors' exams of McMath since her transfer showed some possible brain activity. "They feel like she is not completely gone," he said.

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/id...40106?irpc=932

[SuchAClassicGirl]

These people are assholes. Imma go ahead and channel Chandler Bing here....could she BE any more dead?

Chanandler Bong

At what point do you, as a parent, quit grasping for miracles while she deteriorates and start wanting her to rest in peace. Let's say for one moment a "miracle" happened and her brain stem began to function and she "woke up " to be like Terri Schiavo. I think that would be harder than burying my child.

[andrea0121]

I just spent the last 2+ hours catching up on this thread. FASCINATING read, thank you for all of the awesome input from the pros.

I hate the "we're not going to play god" quotes from the family. They are playing god. Remove that ventilator then. Her organs most definitely will fail rather quickly. So frustrating. RIP Jahi.

[sarabei]

This is kind of where I'm at right now too. Like I said. I wouldn't have joked 2 weeks ago or even a week ago. But almost a month in, multiple doctors & nurses & professionals working with you to help get though to you that she's died later.....it's hard for me to believe they don't understand the situation. Even the Grandmother is a nurse. Short of drinking the kool aid they have to know and are denying this girl any bit of dignity. And in the process they are hurting the public by making others question brain death so that organs go un-donated. It's gotten to the point that is actually perverse.

I agree. The jokes didn't bother me cause this family is making me ill. There is NO way this child will ever wake up and what they are putting her through is disgusting to me. I can comprehend being desperate and filled with grief over losing a child, but at what point to you put that child FIRST??

[sarabei]

Wanna bet?

Dayum...I can't wrap my brain around this clusterfuck.

[Boston Babe 73]

Wanna bet?

This is the thing. Are they saying this because they refuse to be wrong? Or because they really believe it? The Lawyer has been lying. And I'm convinced that the Family has too when it came to finding LTCs. At least being deceptive when relating to the LTCs what her condition really was. Dolan said the initial LTCs backed out because of the press. But a couple backed out after talking to the hospital which leads me to believe that they weren't given accurate information by the Family & Lawyer.

I think they know exactly what the situation is but it's snowballed to the point of no return now. So they're going top wait until her heart stops and blame the hospital for starving her. Rather than doing the right thing and putting her to rest. That's why I lost sympathy for then.

[neenerneener]

Chanandler Bong

At what point do you, as a parent, quit grasping for miracles while she deteriorates and start wanting her to rest in peace. Let's say for one moment a "miracle" happened and her brain stem began to function and she "woke up " to be like Terri Schiavo. I think that would be harder than burying my child.

that's MISS chandler bong to you!

[White trash bitchy blonde]

that's MISS chandler bong to you!

Cha-nan-duh-ler BONG.

[White trash bitchy blonde]

RE: the jokes.

I was just trying to say that imo these parents have tunnel view and are getting wayyy too many different opinions and are grasping at that ONE straw that she will somehow come back. I think the line between what is going on with this girl and Terri Shiavo are blurred to them because the Shiavo foundation is all SHE CAN MAKE IT.

Now, since they are holding onto a miracle that we all know isnt going to happen they are going to be forced to watch their child slowly disintegrate and that makes me sad.

I think they see her body, they see her chest rising and falling. WE know that her body is a shell, she is no longer there and WE know that the vent is causing her chest to rise and fall. They arent getting it.

With how many people are in their ears about it, i see why they are having such a hard time letting go. They don't know what to believe and they probably are thinking WHAT IF?

Im trying to understand and in my own experience even after my mom was gone and i saw her body.....in that moment she was still 'there'. Does that make sense?

I just feel these parents are afraid of the unknown.

[SuchAClassicGirl]

Re: neener

[Queena]

RE: the jokes.

I was just trying to say that imo these parents have tunnel view and are getting wayyy too many different opinions and are grasping at that ONE straw that she will somehow come back. I think the line between what is going on with this girl and Terri Shiavo are blurred to them because the Shiavo foundation is all SHE CAN MAKE IT.

Now, since they are holding onto a miracle that we all know isnt going to happen they are going to be forced to watch their child slowly disintegrate and that makes me sad.

I think they see her body, they see her chest rising and falling. WE know that her body is a shell, she is no longer there and WE know that the vent is causing her chest to rise and fall. They arent getting it.

With how many people are in their ears about it, i see why they are having such a hard time letting go. They don't know what to believe and they probably are thinking WHAT IF?

Im trying to understand and in my own experience even after my mom was gone and i saw her body.....in that moment she was still 'there'. Does that make sense?

I just feel these parents are afraid of the unknown.

I agree with you. The jokes do bother me, and mainly because I don't think the family's putting on a show. They belive she will get better. Who ought to be ashamed are the doctors and those that know for sure that brain dead means dead. Maybe we can start calling it just death.

[Angiebla]

This is the thing. Are they saying this because they refuse to be wrong? Or because they really believe it? The Lawyer has been lying. And I'm convinced that the Family has too when it came to finding LTCs. At least being deceptive when relating to the LTCs what her condition really was. Dolan said the initial LTCs backed out because of the press. But a couple backed out after talking to the hospital which leads me to believe that they weren't given accurate information by the Family & Lawyer.

I think they know exactly what the situation is but it's snowballed to the point of no return now. So they're going top wait until her heart stops and blame the hospital for starving her. Rather than doing the right thing and putting her to rest. That's why I lost sympathy for then.

I agree with this. I have a feeling that when her heart does eventually stop, they will flip out and cry murder.

[puzzld]

http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-cou...-death-threats
Jahi McMath: Streetfighting lawyer takes heat, death threats for brain-dead Oakland girl's family


SAN FRANCISCO -- The mantel over a fireplace in Christopher Dolan's law office is lined with photos of his family, notably pictures of his two young children. And as far as he's concerned, those photos -- not money, fame or a lawyer's hubris -- explain why he took on an Oakland family's heart-wrenching public battle over 13-year-old Jahi McMath when she was declared brain dead more than a month ago.

And it hasn't made him popular. Dolan has received death threats, been called a liar, unethical and accused of exploiting a family's grief. But the tough-talking Connecticut native, who sprinkles his narrative with a healthy dose of profanity, makes no apologies for his very public role in helping Jahi's family get her out of Children's Hospital Oakland and preserve some form of medical treatment.

"If it was my daughter, I'd do everything I'm doing for this family," Dolan said Tuesday during a two-hour interview with this newspaper. "The one thing the family was going to know at the end of the day is that the family had somebody who fought for them."

In Dolan, Jahi's family found a 50-year-old trial lawyer who has sparred in court against a host of powerful adversaries, from Stanford University's hospital to companies such as Federal Express. The delivery giant found out just how tough Dolan can be when he persuaded a federal jury a decade ago to award $61 million to two Lebanese drivers harassed by a manager with racial slurs in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Dolan even took on the Ladies Professional Golf Association on behalf of Lana Lawless, a transgender golfer who won the right to play on the tour and forced the organization to change its rules to enable transgender golfers to participate.

Dolan was drawn into the maelstrom over Jahi's fate on Dec. 16, when he got a phone call at his San Rafael home from her uncle, Omari Sealey. He knew nothing of the controversy, having been immersed in a federal court trial, but Sealey pleaded for help, urging him to turn on the television to watch the latest coverage of the drama. Dolan flipped on the TV, and could see Sealey in the background of the newscast, holding his phone, as their conversation unfolded.

After discussions with his wife, Dolan decided to take on the family's cause, convinced they should have a choice in the decision over whether Jahi should be taken off a ventilator. Describing himself as a "cafeteria Catholic," Dolan admits he did a lot of soul-searching on his views about end-of-life treatment, but kept coming back to the conclusion that a family, rather than just doctors and hospital administrators, should have a voice when they still believe a child can be saved.

But critics have questioned Dolan's altruism. After Dolan and Sealey appeared on CNN's Piers Morgan show Monday night, CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin decried the role of a lawyer in the case, saying he was "preying on the false hope of the family." Children's Hospital spokesman Sam Singer, Dolan's chief antagonist in the Jahi saga, calls the lawyer "heartless," adding: "I've never seen such reckless disregard for the truth."

Dolan is particularly dismissive of Singer and the hospital, claiming that they've libeled him. He points to a wall full of lawyer awards in the entryway of his Market Street office, some singling out his ethics, and merely jokes that Singer needs "to get some decent clothes."

"The whole thing about me giving them false hope is a construction of public relations because they needed a villain," Dolan said. "It's OK if I take the heat. You can still have sympathy for the family."

Describing himself as "about as pro-choice as you can get," Dolan is not an avenger for groups devoted to the end-of-life treatment issue. "I didn't know (expletive) about it when I took this on," he said. "I knew nothing about it."

And Dolan stresses that he's representing the family for free, and will not handle the inevitable medical negligence lawsuit sure to come against Children's Hospital, where Jahi developed complications and suffered cardiac arrest after a three-part surgery to remove tonsils and clear tissue from her nose and throat on Dec. 9. Multiple doctors have declared Jahi brain dead, but the family has rejected that diagnosis, hoping she can live. She has been moved to an undisclosed location, where Dolan concedes the medical outlook is grim.

Dolan insists it would be unethical for him to handle any negligence or wrongful death case, which could expose the hospital to millions of dollars in damages, although he will continue to press a separate federal constitutional case he hopes might define family rights in such situations in the future -- if Jahi's family wants to pursue it. Dolan matter-of-factly states he's already made a "boatload of money," so he can afford to subsidize such causes.

Dolan has no shortage of adjectives for himself, at once describing himself as a "scalpel" and "hard-ass" to a "highly educated juvenile delinquent (he graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law School)."

He shows a visitor texts he's received in recent days from Jahi's family, one from her mother saying she was "forever grateful" for his help. He insists he won't do another case like this one, but has no regrets about spending all those days trying to help the motionless Jahi and her family.

"I'll go down swinging," Dolan said, tearing up at one point when he recalled the day they got the right to move Jahi. "I don't care. I'll lose the money. Maybe that's why people are having such a hard time understanding what's my angle. This lady asked me to save her kid from being killed."

Howard Mintz covers legal affairs. Contact him at 408-286-0236 or follow him at Twitter.com/hmintz

CHRISTOPHER DOLAN

Age: 50
Profession: San Francisco trial lawyer
Major cases: Represented two Lebanese Federal Express drivers in $61 million verdict against the company in racial harassment lawsuit. Represented Oakland man in lawsuit against five BART officers accused of brutality. Represented transgender golfer in lawsuit against LPGA over ban on transgender participation, forcing organization to change its rules. Currently represents family of Jahi McMath, 13-year-old Oakland girl declared brain dead in December.
Education: Law degree from Georgetown University. Masters and undergraduate degrees from Boston University.

[bowieluva]

You know the people I think are really fucked in this are those awful Schiavo people with their fucking agenda.

[puzzld]

You know the people I think are really fucked in this are those awful Schiavo people with their fucking agenda.

Agreed. Let Terri rest in peace finally!

[Queena]

You know the people I think are really fucked in this are those awful Schiavo people with their fucking agenda.

I agree with you!

[*crickets*]

This is the thing. Are they saying this because they refuse to be wrong? Or because they really believe it? The Lawyer has been lying. And I'm convinced that the Family has too when it came to finding LTCs. At least being deceptive when relating to the LTCs what her condition really was. Dolan said the initial LTCs backed out because of the press. But a couple backed out after talking to the hospital which leads me to believe that they weren't given accurate information.

Good point. Dolan insinuated they backed out because the Evil Hospital threatened them or something but it was probably when the hospital told them, doctor to doctor, how bad her condition really is. I'm surprised she's still alive actually.

I also think they're lying about the "dozens" of facilities that were beating down Dolan's door wanting to take her.

[bowieluva]

Agreed. Let Terri rest in peace finally!

IT'S WHAT SHE WANTED. That's what's always been incredible to me.

[puzzld]

IT'S WHAT SHE WANTED. That's what's always been incredible to me.

Yeah. I can't believe how disrespectful of her wishes her family was/is. I understand that in a situation where your loved one hasn't made there wishes clear you might do what her parents have done. But when someone says don't do suchandsuch to me and you go ahead and do it? Evil.

[*crickets*]

Nailah, aka marvsmisses, has a message for all the haters:





-and keep sending $$

[Boston Babe 73]

Nailah, aka marvsmisses, has a message for all the haters:





-and keep sending $$

I take back the dumb part. "Acceptance speech "

[becoming]

I'm surprised she's still alive actually.

She's... not.

[bowieluva]

Man, this is fucking sad. I think her parents are really deluded morons but I still feel bad for them to be in such deep denial.

[White trash bitchy blonde]

Man, this is fucking sad. I think her parents are really deluded morons but I still feel bad for them to be in such deep denial.

Oh god, this.

I feel like it's sad that they are blaming the hospital. Giving them the finger publicly wheni don't think they have the right state of mind to do so is sad and it's making them look bad. They are clearly in denial.

[emmieslost]

Man, this is fucking sad. I think her parents are really deluded morons but I still feel bad for them to be in such deep denial.

i feel bad for them, too. i think too many other idiots with agendas are giving them false hope. seeing the uncle talk about all the 'brain dead' children he has met solidified that for me. not the same as i felt for terri's parents, who are just greedy assholes, imo.