Former hairdresser may be last hope for brain-dead girl

The last hope for Jahi McMath to be kept on a ventilator may come from a former Long Island, N.Y., hairdresser who runs a brain-injury treatment center dedicated to Terri Schiavo, the Florida woman whose case sparked a fierce nationwide end-of-life debate.

The news of the possible transfer came as the state Department of Public Health confirmed Tuesday it is investigating Childrens Hospital Oakland and its handling of the Oakland, Calif., 13-year-old following her tonsil surgery and two other procedures to remove throat and nasal tissue, complications from which left her brain dead.

On Tuesday, the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network said publicly for the first time that it has been helping Jahis family for weeks to find a place to transfer the girl. The network has worked in relative silence for the sake of the sensitivity of her case.

Jahi McMath has been labeled a deceased person. Yet she retains all the functional attributes of a living person, despite her brain injury, the organization said in a news release. This includes a beating heart, circulation and respiration, the ability to metabolize nutrition and more. Jahi is a living human being.

According to a court filing from the familys attorney, the family is hoping to transfer Jahi into the care of the New Beginnings Community Center, in Medford, N.Y.

New Beginnings founder and owner Allyson Scerri shared a statement on her Facebook page Tuesday explaining how her facility is about preserving life and treating brain-injured patients with care and dignity.

We do encourage every citizen to take the time to educate themselves more clearly on the issues of what brain death is and what it is not, the New Beginnings statement read. This child has been defined as a deceased person, yet she has all the functional attributes of a living person despite her brain injury.

Jahi came to the hospital Dec. 9 for three procedures to treat her sleep apnea. But complications led to extensive bleeding and cardiac arrest; six doctors declared her brain dead.

The hospital has said it would transfer Jahi if her family and attorney meet certain conditions. On Monday, a judge extended an order keeping the girl on a ventilator through Jan. 7.

The family has said that the girl needs surgery implanting a tracheotomy line to help her breathe and a gastric tube to provide nutrition before she can be transferred to the New York facility, but Childrens Hospital officials have refused to do the procedures, saying it would be unethical to operate on a dead body.

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Former hairdresser may be last hope for brain-dead girl