Kyle Dantzler

I read a post tonight on LifeNews.com about this young man named Kyle Dantzler. What a medical nightmare. The post was written by Bobby Schindler whose sister Terry Schiavo was starved to death.

I invite you to consider the situation involving 32-year-old, African-American, Kyle Dantzler.

When Kyle was 29 years of age, he needed kidney and liver transplants. Subsequent to this, in 2013, Kyle was having some health issues and was admitted to a leading university hospital in Philadelphia.

Kyle’s mom, Bridgette Henson who lived near Atlanta, took temporary residence in Philadelphia and would visit her son daily. Soon after he was admitted to the hospital, and without warning, she arrived to find Kyle hooked up to life support machines. Ms. Henson later learned that her son had fully coded. Subsequently, his EEG showed no brain activity and he was diagnosed as “brain dead”. His physicians urged Kyle’s mom to “do the right thing” and remove his ventilator so Kyle would die.

She refused.

To everyone’s surprise, Kyle began moving his arms, and his feet and would turn towards his mother when she called his name. His doctors said it wasn’t “purposeful movement” and wouldn’t chart it because they hadn’t observed his movements themselves. Eventually, proving his doctors wrong, Kyle began to breathe on his own. Then, thanks to his mother’s persistent attention, Kyle began to receive rehabilitation.

You can read more details of the medical ordeal his family has endured here. 

Nothing I read was surprising because it is happening in hospitals all over the country.

It took a meeting with Ms. Henson’s attorney to persuade this hospital to stop the palliative care team from repeatedly asking her to move Kyle to hospice (again, Kyle is not dying), and to increase his food intake as he clearly shows signs of malnutrition.

Notice his mother’s attorney NOT the so-called ethic committee’s at the hospitals who are paid by the hospital itself.

Medical Futility

The question is why? Why is this young man not getting the proper treatment he needs to help him improve? At least find a way to help treat the horrific pressure sores that are now covering his malnourished body.

Kyle doesn’t lack the will to live. Nor does his heroic mother lack the conviction to fight for her son in the hopes of meaningful rehabilitation. But Kyle’s situation appears grim, despite the heroism and resolve of those closest to him.

Please pray for Kyle and his family, I know what they are going through. I’ve heard the diagnosis no hope. I found his GoFund me page and if you are moved to send some money to help them out. I know how the doctors IGNORED the purposeful movements of Jamie, I saw it and lived it.

Hospitals are making decisions much quicker now than they used to, determining within hours — even hours that someone will have no recovery. Pressuring the family to stop life support. And this is what we are talking about. Our medical rights being eroded. Seems the shift that’s occurred, where decision-making power now is resting in the hands of hospitals and physicians rather than family members. That’s what should frighten us all. No longer do we look out for the best interest of the patient. We are looking out for the best interest of the hospital. That always comes done not bottom line, so I think decisions are being made with cost in mind, and much quicker decisions are being made to end a person’s life than they have been in the past.

it’s just chilling to hear the pressure and how hospitals are just looking at these people and treating them really as an inconvenience and the best them for them would be to kill them.  Bobby Schindler

It is extremely difficult to fight the doctor’s putting pressure on you to give up on your loved one.  It is called a Medical Futility protocol and every hospital has one. Google to see what your hospital has. The University of Michigan Hospital’s Medical Futility Policy policy on Medical Futility, was formulated in 2009.

“The termination of treatment, including life support systems, does not require documentation of death. In appropriate cases, the attending physician may terminate treatment or preclude some or all future treatment with an appropriate written order when the patient is not dead. Cessation of treatment of a patient declared dead does not require specific orders or procedures, nor does it require family consent.” (excerpt from U of M policy)  

Now this is really scary but it happens every day.

“When death is both inevitable and imminent, and where the patient (or representative) concurs, sufficient dosage of narcotic, sedative, or other therapies should be employed to relieve the patient’s pain and suffering, even if doing so might compromise life-sustaining functions. The primary intent of any such therapy is to relieve patient suffering.”

You have a right to know before entering any hospital what their policy on medical futility is and if not ask before going there, or if you are incapacitated have your family ask. Have the discussion NOW with your family.

God bless Bridgette Henson, his mama and his 3 kids they have been enduring this ordeal for two years.