Brampton woman declared brain dead. But is she dead?

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Taquisha's daughter holding her picture.

Taquisha McKitty (27) of Brampton Ontario was declared brain dead on September 20 after having a cardiac arrest on September 14 related to a drug overdose. Her parents immediately sought a court injunction to prevent the William Osler Health System in Brampton from removing her life-support.

On September 28 Ontario Superior Court Justice Lucille Shaw granted an injunction in order to allow Taquisha to be evaluated by another doctor.

Watch the City TV news clip.

Stanley Stewart, Taquisha's father, told CP 24 news, after being granted an injunction, that:

“If you are there with her and you touch her and you grab her feet, she will pull her feet from you. If you tickle her she will move her feet. In one instance one of her cousins was squeezing her hand and asked her to show her thumb and she moved her thumb,” 

“We know for a fact that she is alive because if she was dead and her brain was dead there is no way that a week-and-a-half later she would still be moving. If you are brain dead then no parts should be moving.”

Dr Paul Byrne, a retired American expert on brain death criteria told CP 24 news:

“What’s going on here is the young lady is living,”

“A declaration by a doctor does not make someone dead. There is clearly a difference between being alive and being dead and she is alive. Her heart beats, she has circulation, she moves her legs and she responds to the family.”

Byrne told CP 24 that it appears that the hospital rushed to declare Taquisha as brain dead because she had signed her organ donor card.

The injunction will remain in effect until the family’s next court date on Oct. 17 or 18.

This is not the first time that the William Osler Health System in Brampton is embroiled in a controversial withdrawal of care case. In August 2010 Joshua Myandi, a pastor of a small Church, was dehydrated to death after a controversial capacity board hearing.

A GoFundMe account to help with legal costs has been set up.