Family says brain-dead Jahi McMath showing signs of lifeKurtis Alexander
Updated 7:52 am, Saturday, March 15, 2014
Despite being declared brain-dead three months ago, 13-year-old Jahi McMath of Oakland is tossing and turning in her hospital bed and signaling that she's aware of what's going on around her, a family member said Friday.
In an interview with The Chronicle on Friday at the office of the family's attorney, Jahi's uncle Omari Sealy, 27, said that while his niece remains unconscious, she looks healthy and moves her head, legs and arms regularly. Showing such signs of life, he said, the family is not going to give up on her.
She even turns in the direction of visitors when they enter her hospital room, an indication that she understands her surroundings, Sealy said.
"She moves so much, she can turn on her side," he said. "They have to keep her bed rails up. They're afraid she could fall out of bed."
Medical experts insist that brain-dead people are not alive. They say movement by people on mechanical support is not uncommon; it's the product of muscle and spinal reflexes.
Experts also say patients can remain on support machines for weeks or even months, but their condition is bound to deteriorate.
Sealy, however, said none of what the family has been told by doctors has come true. Jahi's complexion color is good, her heart and lungs remain strong and she has shown increasing signs of awareness, he said.
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