OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The mother of a 13-year-old Northern California girl declared brain dead after a routine tonsillectomy says her daughter had expressed fears she wouldn’t wake up after the surgery.
Nailah (NAY’-luh) Winkfield said Thursday her daughter, Jahi (JAW’-heye) McMath, did wake up after the Dec. 9 procedure, but the girl later began bleeding profusely from her mouth and nose for hours.
She went into cardiac arrest and is now on a ventilator as her family seeks a court order to keep her on life support through the holidays. The family says Children’s Hospital Oakland officials told them Thursday they want to take the girl off life support quickly.
The family’s attorney says he’ll file an injunction on Friday to prevent any hospital intervention.
Hospital officials say the family hasn’t given them permission to openly discuss the case, citing medical privacy laws.