Tonsillectomy leaves 13-year-old brain-dead, family with no answers

(http://nation.time.com) Last week, Jahi McMath, a 13-year-old Californian girl, went to Children's Hospital Oakland to have her tonsils removed.

Tonsillectomies are generally safe procedures, and after her operation, young Jahi, enjoying a Popsicle, seemed perfectly healthy. But then she began to bleed profusely from her nose and mouth and quickly went into cardiac arrest. Since then, doctors have declared her brain-dead, and she is now hooked up to a ventilator and unlikely to ever recover.

Jahi's family have pleaded for answers from hospital staff, who they say have been rude, have asked them to leave the facility and have refused their requests to meet with hospital administration.

"As compassionate as she is and as caring as she is, you would think the hospital could show her some compassion," Nailah Winkfield, Jahi's mother, said.

The family is holding out for a miracle and are hoping to keep their daughter alive for as long as possible, despite hospital staff urging them to go ahead and "pull the plug."

In an attempt to save face and appear sympathetic, Children's Hospital released this ostensible statement: "We are very sad about her condition and our hearts go out to her and her family. We are currently reviewing the case."