Jahi McMath and Mother in New Picture Two Years After She Was Declared Brain-Dead

Jahi McMath and Mother in New Picture Two Years After She Was Declared Brain-Dead
Epoch Newsroom
3/20/2016
Updated:
3/21/2016

A new photo shows Jahi McMath on life support two years after she was declared brain dead.

The 15-year-old’s mother Nailah Winkfield posted the picture in a Facebook group, the first update on the teen in about three months.

“Jahi as healthy and beautiful as ever, proving the naysayers wrong. A fighter, A warrior, A blessed child, Gods got your back little girl, keep fighting. Your testimony will be a great one,” wrote Winkfield.

“Prayers going up from many, all the prayers, good wishes combined with your mothers love for you which is pure and soothing will definitely keep you going. Stay blessed everyone and thank you for your prayers and love.”

McMath was declared brain-dead in December 2013 after going into cardiac arrest following a routine surgery that was meant to remove her tonsils and help her sleep apnea, reported The Root.

Three doctors at the facility wanted to turn off the life-support machine, but the family won an injunction preventing that from happening. However, they were forced to transfer her to an undisclosed facility that would allow the machine to stay on.

The family has been trying since December 2015 to try to get McMath’s death certificate voided.

“I want her to have the same rights as any other disabled kid,” Winkfield told the NY Daily News.

If the family is successful, insurance companies will be required to pay for the teen’s care.