A Texas family is fighting for their young daughter’s life after a hospital declared her brain dead earlier this month.
Fox News reports Payton Summons, 9, had a heart attack last month and was placed on life support at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Texas. Later, doctors declared her brain dead and moved to take her off life support.
However, her family fought against the move in court and asked for time to find a new hospital that would treat Payton, according to the report.
On Wednesday, however, District Judge Melody Wilkinson refused to grant an extension of that request after the family was unable to find a new hospital within an initial two-week restraining order, the report states. Wilkinson said the family asked at least 28 hospitals to take Payton but none would.
The young girl’s life support may be removed as soon as Monday.
Here’s more from the report:
The family argued that their daughter still has a heartbeat and that there is hope for recovery. However, a hospital attorney said at an earlier hearing that a cancerous tumor near her heart has cut off circulation and is “crushing her heart and lungs.” The hospital said brain scans have found no brain activity.
Despite the judge’s ruling, one of the family’s attorneys, Justin Moore, said that they will continue to explore options including more court filings.
“No one won today,” he said, according to [The Star-Telegram]. “Our fight will continue on.”
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Their case is another in a growing list of battles between parents and hospitals over the treatment of severely ill children. In one of the most well-known cases, a California teen named Jahi McMath lived for five years after doctors called her “brain dead” and tried to remove her life support. After a public legal battle ensued, the family moved Jahi to another hospital where three doctors signed declarations stating that she was not brain dead. Jahi died in June.
The family of infant Alfie Evans lost their very public battle to stop a hospital from revoking his life support this summer.
