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Israel Stinson: Mother Of 2-Year-Old Removed From Life Support Against Family’s Wishes Speaks Out [Video]

By Patricia Ramirez
Published on: 04:57 PST, Aug 31, 2016

On August 25, baby Israel Stinson was removed from life support following a months-long battle between his family and healthcare providers. The case began back in April when 2-year-old Israel Stinson was brought to a local California hospital suffering from an asthma attack. Things went from bad to worse when little Israel’s asthma attack escalated into cardiac arrest. Reportedly, doctors worked for nearly an hour to restart Israel Stinson’s heart.

They were able to get the little boy’s heart pumping again, but his brain had been without oxygen for an extended period of time. Following a neurological exam, Israel Stinson’s parents got some devastating news. According to doctors, Israel Stinson was brain dead and had no chance of ever recovering or even regaining consciousness.

Israel Stinson’s parents disagreed with the diagnosis of Israel’s doctors and, despite medical advice, refused to unplug the baby. They took him to multiple medical facilities and even out of the country to Guatemala in an attempt to find a doctor who would diagnose the tot with something other than irreversible brain death.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohw79xnjSig

According to Israel Stinson’s parents, the family battled doctors, judges, and medical centers for months before they found a Guatemalan hospital that provided the family with the home it needed to continue their fight. Fox 40 reports that the hospital conducted an electroencephalogram, or EEG, and the results contradicted Israel’s official California diagnosis of brain death. The family of little Israel Stinson claims that the test conducted by the Guatemalan hospital showed brain activity.

Following the diagnosis out of Guatemala, the family of Israel Stinson consulted with Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, which reportedly agreed to admit 2-year-old Israel. The family believed they were on their way to a long-term care plan that would facilitate what they hoped would be the beginning of Israel Stinson’s recovery. Unfortunately, Israel Stinson’s mother, Jonee Fonseca, says that the family’s dream quickly became a nightmare.

“Right when we got there they discussed home care with us, and not even two days later they, started telling us they wanted to perform their own test, but they never did their own test.”

According to Fonesca, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles told her that Israel Stinson’s recent Guatemalan medical records were invalid, and the hospital went to court to get an order to immediately disconnect 2-year-old Israel from the ventilator keeping his body, if not his brain, alive.

At the time Israel Stinson was admitted to Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, he was protected by a restraining order that prevented medical personnel from removing him from life support. However, when the hospital took the case back before a Los Angeles Superior Court judge last Thursday morning, the judge sided with the hospital’s appeal.

According to the judge, the restraining order protecting Israel Stinson from being removed from the ventilator was null and void. It was immediately dissolved, giving the hospital the legal authority required to remove Israel’s breathing tube.

Just hours later, and without consent from Israel Stinson’s disbelieving family, the little boy was removed from life support and died.

“They pulled the plug about 3:10 p.m., that day. They gave me till 4 o’clock to say my goodbyes.”

According to Israel Stinson’s mother, she doesn’t even understand why the California hospital would agree to admit the toddler if they were just going to have him removed from life support. Fonesca believes her son would still be clinging to life if she had known what the hospital had planned.

“I could have still been in Guatemala, fighting for my son’s life, if we didn’t come back.”

Additionally, Israel Stinson’s mother alleges that the hospital rushed to take her son off of life support knowing full well that her legal team was going to appeal the Superior Court judge’s decision to remove him. Rather than give 2-year-old Israel’s family a chance to file an appeal, the hospital removed the toddler from life support within mere hours of the judge’s decision to prevent the family from being able to do so.

“They wanted him gone. He was just wasting money and it just, it just doesn’t make sense. It’s so corrupt they way they went about it. It was so terrible the way everything played out. They had no sympathy for us. They treated us like criminals in there. They had security around as if we’re, you know… they’re killing my child, and they’re treating me like, like I’m overreacting, like I’m doing something wrong.”

While Israel Stinson’s mother is clearly distraught and has chosen to publicly speak out about her son’s death, the hospital is remaining silent. Citing patient privacy laws, the hospital has said it will not comment on the case of Israel Stinson.

When Israel Stinson’s fight for his life began months ago, his father set up a GoFundMe campaign to help raise money for travel, medical and other expenses. It has raised over $30,000 in four months, and it is still accepting donations. According to the family of Israel Stinson, the money that has been and continues to be raised will now be used to finance a “special home-going celebration” for little Israel Stinson.

[Image via Jonee Fonseca and Nathaniel Stinson/Life Legal Defense Foundation/Facebook]

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