Jahi McMath, Who Doctors Declared Brain Dead 5 Years Ago Sparking Court Battle With His Mom, Dies

A California teenager at the center of a medical care debate died five years after doctors declared her brain dead.

Jahi McMath, 17, was removed from survival machines that helped her breathe. bleeding and kidney problems as a result of a surgical operation, reported the Bay Area News Group. She died on June 22nd.

His brain will be preserved for scientists to study, said McMath family lawyer, Christopher Dolan, to the publication

Nailah Winkfield, his mother, spoke at Bay Area News Group. "I am devastated by the loss of my daughter," said Winkfield, adding that her daughter had undergone several surgeries since April.

"All that I have done is revolving around Jahi, I think Jahi will be remembered forever because she has defied all odds." My wish is for her to make change some laws around brain death. "

" I hope that she taught people – stopped pulling the plug on your people, "she continued. "Give them a chance."

She added, "The only regret I have is taking her to remove her tonsils."

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The McMath case attracted national attention in late 2013 after Winkfield refused to withdraw her of life after doctors declared his brain dead after a difficult operation of the nose and throat. She was 13 years old at the time.

His family went to court to ask for an order to prevent the hospital to remove a respirator and a food tube.

Both parties reached an agreement allowing McMath to be taken to New Jersey. Oakland, California, because of the state's law that denies doctors the opportunity to remove dead brain patients if the family objects.

Winkfield documented his daughter's trip to the Facebook page "Keep Jahi McMath on Life Support." "Jahi McMath ~ Very favored, deeply loved, richly blessed, incredibly honored," wrote Winkfield. "Four years ago, you were given less than a month to live, even alive, 4 years later, you are here, you breathe for yourself."

"One day at a time, Jahi loves life, and she's fighting for it," she said. "Happy 17th birthday Jahi, we love you, and God loves you more."

While doctors have declared McMath's brain dead, the Facebook page dedicated to her said McMath could breathe on his own and hold a pen. That may not sound like much, but for her it's a big step forward, "wrote Winkfield." # Thankful # TeamJahi Thanksgiving happy, be thankful no matter how bad it may seem. ? ??. "

<p class =" canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mo (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm "type =" text "content =" RELATED: Jahi McMath, 13 years old, may pass to the command after being declared brain-dead "data-reactid =" 32 "> RELATED: Jahi McMath, 13 years old, can move to command after being declared brain -Dead [19659014] Arthur Caplan, head of medical ethics at Langone Medical Center at New York University, told the Associated Press in 2014 that he knew of no case of reversing the He warned that the data collected on Jahi needed to be examined by other researchers and experts in the field before conclusions could be made.

"If that were true, it would be a revolutionary development in the understanding of death "Caplan said." They play a game with high stakes. "