RICHMOND, Va. – The family of the two-year-old on life support at VCU Medical said they are fighting an uphill battle and that they want to take their daughter home.
Patrick and Allison Lawson’s daughter Mirranda Grace is fighting for her life after choking on a piece of popcorn May 11.
Doctors believe Mirranda is past the point of recovery and want to administer a test that would prove if she can support herself.
The hospital has filed motions to expedite process to check to see if Miranda is braindead, her father told CBS 6. The family alleged that the hospital won’t take care of Miranda but also won’t provide the breathing tube they need to care for her at home.
“They keep filing more and more motions to get this test before we go to court,” said Patrick Lawson; a date is scheduled for September. “The whole point of going to court, is not only for the rights of Miranda, but for every child that is out there.”
“They have made a decision that Miranda has to die, and that is not acceptable,” said lawyer Alexandra Snyder with the Life Legal Defense Foundation. “We are not going to stand by and watch that happen.”
“This is their precious daughter. She is in there fighting for her life, but her heart is beating, she is making improvements. As Patrick said, she requires less medications than she did when she arrived,” Snyder added.
A prayer ceremony held for Mirranda
The Lawson family alleged that their daughter is not being given the care she needs at VCU Medical.
Carissa Etters, Assistant Director of Public Affairs at VCU Health, emailed this statement:
In the nearly two months Mirranda Lawson has been in the VCU Medical Center pediatric critical care unit, her expert and compassionate medical team has provided around-the- clock, highly-specialized critical care that cannot be given in a home setting. Other agencies and institutions have reviewed her case and are not able to support her intensive care needs. This is a difficult and tragic situation. Mirranda’s medical team and everyone involved want the best for Mirranda and her family.
