Comatose girl responds to stimuli

[medeak]

This is the girl her father was fighting to keep alive (as he beat her and would be charged with murder) Funny how silent everyone is?


Comatose Mass. Girl Responds to Stimuli

By ADAM GORLICK
Associated Press Writer





SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) -- A comatose girl beaten with a baseball bat is responding to medical stimuli and breathing on her own, officials said Wednesday, a day after Massachusetts' highest court ruled the state could take her off life support.

"There's a possible change in her condition," said Denise Monteiro, a spokeswoman for the Department of Social Services. "She's having some responses."

The state, which has custody, had asked that Haleigh Poutre's ventilator and feeding tube be withdrawn after doctors said she was in an irreversible vegetative state.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LIFE_SUPPORT_STRUGGLE?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

[purduejake]

1. If that was me...

I'd want somebody to pull the plug.

[medeak]

2. have living will on file with hospital

not many people know...if it's not on file you are screwed.

[LisaL]

14. Well, she is only 10. How can 10 year old have a living will?

[medeak]

23. It was just an FYI

had to drive friend to bank to find living will in vault while emergency room was doing CPR on terminal husband.... they are required to if it's not on file.

[WindRavenX]

3. you can still respond to stimuli

...and still be considered a vegetable. The autosynaptic (sp?) part of the brain could be the only thing not damaged. So yes, biologically she may be alive--but certainly not as she was or can hope to be

[Zynx]

17. Jellyfish don't even have brains and respond to stimuli.

[LisaL]

11. They did, and she didn't die.

[TaleWgnDg]

22. New twist to this tragic story (reports Boston Globe on its front page)

.

(Front page, Boston Globe, Thursday, January 19, 2006)
Girl in vegetative state reported to improve
DSS says it has no plan to remove feeding tube
by Patricia Wen, Globe Staff, January 19, 2006

A day after the state's highest court ruled that the Department of Social Services could withdraw life support from a brain-damaged girl, the agency said yesterday that Haleigh Poutre might be emerging from her vegetative state.

DSS also said it has no immediate plans to remove her feeding tube.

"There has been a change in her condition," said a DSS spokeswoman, Denise Monteiro. "The vegetative state may not be a total vegetative state."

Monteiro said Haleigh is breathing on her own, without the ventilator she has depended on for four months. Monteiro also said that doctors at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield elicited responses from Haleigh during tests performed yesterday.

They will begin more medical tests today to determine her neurological activity. Further tests, Monteiro said, could show whether Haleigh is going to be "a miracle child."

. . . more at . . . http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/01/19/girl_in_vegetative_state_reported_to_improve?mode=PF
.

This is a classic case of poor journalism. Why do I say that? Because it reports only and infers only statements from laypeople (non-medical professionals) at DSS who don't know what the hell they are talking about when it comes to the medical condition of this comatose (vegetative state) child at the time of this story, as well as to others who haven't a clue as to the child's medical condition. In other words, it's a news article about sensationalism merely for the sake of sensationalism. Why is the Boston Globe apparently attempting to make this into another Terri Schiavo case where religious rightwingers pushed, tragically, to add religion to law in Florida, the U.S. Congress, and the federal courts?

In effect, the Boston Globe seems to be adding to the tragedy of this child's short horrific life and potential death. Is this appropriate news reporting about the right-to-die-with-dignity issue? Why doesn't the Boston Globe WAIT UNTIL the medical professionals make their new medical diagnosis after new medical tests are concluded at which time a medical decision will be made whether to "remove her feeding tube?" Instead of rushing to be *first* with non-news? How stupid can it get?

_________________________

edited to add: there's more at this DU thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=158x7518
.

[brentspeak]

4. This girl has been abused since Day One

First, her biological mother's boyfriend sexually abused her. Then, her aunt, who adopted her from her sister, abused Haleigh with the help of her 2nd husband, this Strickland jerk. Topping it all off, the aunt and Strickland bashed little Haleigh's head with a baseball bat.

(The aunt is dead, having been murdered by her mother, the girl's grandmother, in an apparent murder-suicide perpetrated by the grandmother a few days after Haleigh was brought to the hospital with severe brain trauma.)

Yes, this can be an evil world...

[LisaL]

16. I wonder where Mr. Strickland was

at the time supposed murder-suicide took place.

[killbotfactory]

5. I need an edited video of her to make a proper diagnosis.

[displacedtexan]

9. Frist, I mean First, you'd have to experiment on some kittens...

before you could video-diagnose the patient.

Dead kitten + electrode = responding to stimuli.


OK, that was really gross.
Pay no attention to me. I'm not usually this macabre this early in the morning.

[Up2Late]

6. Oh Man, Here we go again...

...Where's Dr./Senator Frist?

[Erika]

7. Dr. Frist only comes at the calling of the right to lifers

This is too messy (and reality based) for them to get involved.

[Autumn Colors]

8. It's not her father, it's her STEPFATHER

The guy has been her stepfather for 4 years. This isn't her biological father we're talking about here.

My gut is telling me the guy only wants her kept alive to avoid the murder charge.

If she's in an irreversible vegetative state, then I side with pulling the plug. I certainly wouldn't want to exist that way.

The girl's mother has also states that she would like the plug pulled.

For the record, I sided with Schiavo's husband in that debate as well.

[LisaL]

12. I am not sure he can be even considered her stepfather.

She was living with her aunt, and the guy is aunt's husband, but I don't think there was an official adoption on his part.

[Javaman]

10. That poor kid...

Talk about someone who never got an even chance.

Even if this horrible thing never happened to her, given the surroundings she was brought up in, what chance would she have had?

Now she's in such a state that she probably will never regain consciousness.

Time to pull the plug and let her die. Perhaps in the next life she will be given something better.

[LisaL]

15. Again, they have pulled the plug, but she didn't die.

Geez, read the article.
She is breathing on her own, without the help of the ventilator.

[progressivebydesign]

19. Thank you for reiterating that... wish folks would read the article. n/t

[Javaman]

20. And that makes it all bettter...

So although she's breathing, she's a veg. So much better...

I'd weep for our future but our future is here, so I'll cry now.

[LisaL]

21. So, what do you propose they should do? Smack her on the head some

more? They pulled the plug, and she isn't dead... None of us even know her condition. Her Drs. won't even agree on whether to remove her feeding tube or not. But no, she should be killed as fast as possible-for what freaking reason?
What are her results? Did they run the test to check for brain activity? None of you know it, but apparently she has to be killed ASAP?

[nautibits]

13. Terry Shivo part 2

[Zhade]

24. Man, I hope not. Some real IDIOTS here when that went down.

All "but Michael Schiavo" this and "she's really looking at people, really for true!!!111!!!" that.

Fucking ridiculous. Lot of it lies and ignorance, too. I still can't read certain DUers' posts without shaking my head at how wrong they were on that situtation, even if their hearts were mostly in the right place.

[lumberjack_jeff]

26. This is different

This girl was hospitalized this September and after removing the breathing tube, she's now showing some improvement.

Schiavo had been hospitalized for fifteen years, the last 8 of which it was obvious that she was without hope of any quality of life.

Do I think it's likely that she'll recover to any meaningful degree? No. Do I think it's possible? Yes.

[progressivebydesign]

18. I wouldn't want my plug pulled...

I have this thought that many people can come back It happens. The worst thing in my mind, would be for me to be laying there... and unbeknownst to them, knowing what was going on and enjoying the company.. and they decide to yank the plug. I plan to fight it out until the bitter end, and stay alive as long as possible. Life is really all we have, to state is simplistically.

[Zhade]

25. Just make sure you leave instructions on how to handle your situation.

Then your family won't have to deal with the nonsense that was the rightwing version of what happened during the Schiavo affair.