The parents of a 14-year-old Monroe County boy in a coma are pleading for a second health care facility to take in their son before a judge decides next week whether the teen’s current hospital can take him off life support.
Bobby Reyes has been on life support at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor since September after suffering an asthma attack. On Sept. 26, the hospital declared him brain dead and planned to discontinue his life support the next day. After a restraining order was filed immediately, Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge David Swartz granted the family more time to find another health care provider that would accept a transfer.
C.S. Mott planned again to disconnect the boy on Friday. An emergency restraining order, however, will now keep the boy alive until a hearing Tuesday at Washtenaw County Trial Court to determine his future. His parents, Sarah Jones and Jose Reyes, are hoping an alternative provider will take their son after they had initially secured a facility for the boy on Wednesday, only to be crushed with news that the provider had flip-flopped its decision.
C.S. Mott has agreed to a transfer if the family is able to find another facility.
Bill Amadeo, the attorney representing the boy’s family, told The Blade on Friday that Ms. Jones and Mr. Reyes are “looking at this like it’s their baby boy and they should have a part in the decision-making process.” He says he’s hopeful that C.S. Mott will give the family more time to find another facility.
Mary Masson, a spokesman for Michigan Medicine, the health care system of the University of Michigan that owns C.S. Mott, said in a written statement that it would be “inappropriate” to continue “medical interventions.”
“Our multi-disciplinary teams, including ethics experts, study every case individually,” the statement read. “If extensive testing shows there is irreversible cessation of all brain functions, including the brain stem, continuing medical interventions is inappropriate and violates the professional standards of Michigan Medicine.”
But Mr. Amadeo said two medical professionals have given the family different opinions. Allegiant HealthCare, a Phoenix facility that provides “post-acute medically complex care services to patients,” according to its website, agreed on Wednesday to take in the boy, but by Thursday had backed out of that decision.
In an emotional Facebook video posted on the “Save Bobby” support page on Thursday, Ms. Jones appeared to be stunned by the news.
“I can’t even breathe. We were so happy that he got accepted,” she said in the video. “They were going to take him and I don’t know what happened ... I don’t know what to do. I’ve done everything that I can and I can’t take it.”
Mr. Amadeo said the facility wouldn’t give him a reason why it had changed its decision and felt that “something doesn’t add up.” He said Friday night he was in contact with another facility he’s “hopeful” will take a transfer. He said he’s working around the clock and has people around the country trying to find a facility. In the meantime, he hopes C.S. Mott will give them more time.
“As much as I respect U-M, there have been two medical professionals that told the family there is a chance,” he said. “Imagine if this was your child.”
A GoFundMe page for the family has raised $21,067 as of Friday night.
Blade reporter Alexandra Mester contributed to this story.
First Published October 12, 2019, 12:09 a.m.
