I hope the medical staff supporting Jahi all have good therapists

[drangnon]

I've been trying to avoid posting about Jahi McMath, which is one of the more disturbing news stories in the Bay Area this month. But I really can't help it. (wendelina2: this might be a bit too close to home so don't read if it bugs you.)

Jahi McMath, through tragic circumstances we do not know, but which I suspect have much to do with a post-

Comments

[wendelina2]

I read this a few days ago, and then put it away to respond to later. Now's as good a time as any.

Similar things happened to us, as you know. The nurses were in the unenviable position of keeping Sue's body alive via machines and drugs (despite that we KNEW in our guts when she ARRIVED at the hospital that brain death was imminent if not already occurred) for two reasons:

1. Because someone was crazy and acting it and no one would take action against him.
2. Because the doctors and others in the hospital were waiting for a decision to be made regarding organ donation status (as her body was in excellent condition for her age, etc.).

… I intentionally didn't look at how much that cost, the 2+ days of "no, there's nothing to be done, nothing you could have done, delaying the brain death tests won't change the results, really, we mean it" arguing. Talking to the nurses, it got harder every 12 hours or so, more interventions required to keep her organs viable.

I think what probably makes it not creepy (or at least manageable levels of creepy) for the staff is that they are trying to ease the passage of this human, not for their patient in the bed, but for their patients standing and sitting alongside the bed. We're the ones who are having the hard time adjusting, and they are trying to do what's necessary to give us the time needed to process what our eyes are seeing but having a hard time believing.

I do agree with the CNN article, though, that terms need to be revamped so people understand better. But, as the article also says, where do you allow for faith, and where do you try to push it out of the way?

We had that discussion too, sadly, but I'm pretty sure it was a theoretical discussion to keep decisions from being made, rather than because one party actually _believed_.

[drangnon]

re: your point #2, she has been on a vent for 3 weeks or so, but has not been getting a feeding tube or anything like it. I would be surprised if her organs are going to be useful, and now the relatives are accusing the hospital of trying to starve her to death.

and I agree about considering the family who are "the patients beside the bed" but I can't understand why those patients are not creeped out and more readily accepting. it is really.creepy.

as far as faith goes. where is one's soul? it's not intangible. science has not pinned down what constitutes consciousness, that thing that makes us *us*, and faith is the best way to explain the light behind our eyes. but that light behind our eyes is also a function of a brain that's alive.