Abused and battered, 11-year-old Haleigh Poutre had seemed a hopeless case in “a vegetative state” in September when doctors examined her for a damaged brain stem. However, following the last week's Court permission for the removal of life-support, the doctors have found her to be sufficiently responsive to reverse that permission. The girl who brought back the debate on the right-to-die is now out of pediatric intensive care.
The young Massachusetts girl, who the Department of Social Services (DSS) removed from her own mother's custody to be “in better hands”, suffered a beating with a baseball bat in her adoptive home left "virtually brain dead". Hardly three weeks later the same Department appealed for the removal of her feeding and breathing tubes, while her biological mother meekly concurred. But a mere day after that appeal was approved Haleigh is proof of a will to live - breathing, moving her eyes and picking up objects.
Given up for adoption when just seven, after the state department accused her real mother Allison Avrett of child neglect and Avrett's boyfriend of sexual abuse, Haleigh's plight remained unchanged after adoption. Her adoptive mother Holli Strickland (also her aunt) and her stepfather Jason Strickland during the three years of her custody had on numerous recorded instances abused her. In September, they burned and battered Haleigh senseless.
While the assault-charged Holli died alongside her grandmother in what seemed a murder-suicide following Haleigh's hospitalization, Jason Strickland remained hopeful of Hailey's survival to evade murder charges. Though it is unclear whether Avrett wished to regain Haleigh's custody, she is now a mother of two more children.
Currently under rehabilitation at a Brighton rehabilitation center, Haleigh is much better thanks to "her incredible will to live" as Harry Spence, commissioner of the DSS puts it. Two days earlier she responded to commands to pick up a stuffed toy of Curious George and a yellow duck. A DSS spokeswoman said of Haleigh's incredible recovery, "There's so much absolute hope now". Though Spence had been instrumental for the life support removal request, he was quick to recommend her for rehab on seeing her responsiveness. He also noted that Haleigh showed no visible signs of being in pain.
A few medical experts have suggested that Haleigh maybe in a "minimally conscious state" wherein she is aware of her surroundings and able to respond to orders. But in which case she would also be aware of her own pain. However, being a child she still has a greater chance to make a significant recovery from the life-threatening brain injury. But it would be a year before doctors can conclude whether Haleigh has any hope of being even partially able. But as Dr. Douglas Katz of Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital suggests one should not “give up before a year".
