FORT WORTH (WBAP/KLIF)- UPDATE 11/19: The family of a 9-month baby will now have until December 10th to find a new hospital before their current hospital ends treatment.
A Tarrant County judge has extended a temporary restraining order to keep Tinslee Lewis alive.
Cook Children’s Hospital was originally going to end life support November 10th, because of a 10 day rule in Texas. The initial restraining order was set to expire November 22nd but the judge extended it again to give the family more time.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A North Texas family is fighting to keep their baby alive.
9-month-old Tinslee Lewis has a rare heart condition that makes it very difficult for her to breathe and has been hospitalized since birth.
Cook Children’s Hospital says after doing all they can to keep her alive, they plan to remove her from life support, implementing the 10-day rule in Texas. Officials with the hospital said her condition is fatal and believes she’s suffering.
Kimberlyn Schwartz with Texas Right to Life is helping the family fight for her life. She said the 10-day-rule is a law in Texas that allows Hospitals to give families a 10 day notice to pull the plug and calls it completely unfair. “Tinslee could live a long time with this condition but her hospital made this decision from their subjective quality of life assessment and are imposing that on Tinslee’s family,” Schwartz said.
The family is actively searching for another hospital to take Tinslee and treat her. Schwartz said this story has sparked a lot of media attention and mothers with children with similar conditions have reached out to them to help with doctors.
The family has until a hearing on November 22nd to find another facility for Tinslee, unless a judge grants them an extension. Schwartz said she’s also calling on Governor Greg Abbott to hold a special session and get rid of the 10 day law all together.
