13-year-old Jahi McMath brain dead after tonsillectomy

Jahi McMath (Photo: NY Daily News)

13-year-old Jahi McMath brain dead after having tonsillectomy

A family in Oakland, Calif., is devastated after Jahi McMath underwent a doctor recommended tonsillectomy and is now brain dead.

The family of Jahi McMath says that the 8th grader had sleep apnea, was overweight, could not concentrate and had problems controlling her urination.

They say that McMath’s physician recommended the tonsillectomy to correct the problems.

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The child underwent the surgery on Mon. Dec. 9 and, initially, all seemed to be OK.

McMath was alert after the surgery and even asked for a Popsicle.

The family says that something happened and McMath was moved to the intensive care unit.

They said after she was moved to intensive care that they were denied access for at least 30 minutes, and when they finally did get to see her they knew something was wrong.

Sandy Chatman, the girls grandmother, told CNN that there was “way too much blood”.

The family kept asking if this was normal and received conflicting replies.

McMath then went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced brain dead.

Further adding to the family’s grief is that they claim the representatives of the Children’s Hospital & Research Center in Oakland, Calif. told them that McMath would be removed from life support which is against their girl’s mother’s wishes.

The hospital even reported the death to the Coroner’s office.

The family’s attorney has presented the hospital with a a cease and desist letter preventing them from removing the little girl from life support.

Experts have been weighing-in on the case and seem to agree that once a patient is brain dead, they are officially dead and the hospital can remove the person from life support without requiring permission from the family.

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