Parents Decide to Keep Life Support of Brain Dead Daughter Due to Tonsil Surgery: UPDATE

The parents of a brain-dead child are adamant in saying that they will not pull the plug on their daughter, no matter how impossible it is for her to survive, CNN reports.

Thirteen-year old Jahi McMatch was declared brain dead on Thursday, three days after undergoing surgery to remove her tonsils. "I don't want her off life support because I really feel like she can wake up," Nailah Winkfield said. "I feel like it's just been a rough week for her and, if they just give her some more time, then she'll be able to wake up." Jahi's family presented Children's Hospital & Research Center in Oakland, California with a cease-to-desist letter aimed at preventing the hospital from taking her off a ventilator.

"If the hospital wants to terminate Jahi's life, they should go to court and get a judge to authorize that, not pressure a parent into signing a document in the middle of the night or telling them at 8:30 tomorrow morning your child will be dead," attorney Christopher B. Dolan said. Doctors previously recommended the tonsillectomy to treat Jahi's sleep apnea, weight gain, uncontrolled urination, short attention span and inability to concentrate. Her uncle, Omari Sealey said: "They said that she would have more energy, focus more, lose weight and the urinating would stop."

Jahi's grandmother, Sandy Chatman confirmed that after the surgery, everything seemed to be going well. "She was alert and talking and she was asking for a Popsicle because she said her throat hurt." The hospital's chief of pediatrics, Dr. David Durand said: "Our hearts go out to this patient and her family. Unfortunately, we have not been authorized by the family to share information with the public about this matter. Consequently, we are not able to correct misperceptions created about this sad situation."