A Texas family that fought to stop doctors from declaring their two-year-old daughter brain dead after a drowning accident says the child is making progress since being transferred to a different hospital.
Annelise Camp was marking Memorial Day on May 25 in Houston when, according to her family, she slipped away and entered a swimming pool after removing her life jacket.
Her older cousin pulled the toddler from the water, and others quickly ran over and began performing CPR in an effort to save her.
Emergency crews rushed Annelise to Texas Children’s Hospital for treatment. But after a doctor recommended conducting a brain death test, her parents secured a temporary restraining order to prevent the hospital from carrying out the procedure.
Court records previously reviewed by the Daily Mail showed the Camp family wanted Annelise to continue receiving the medical treatment they believed she needed. They argued that if she were declared brain dead, the care available to her would become restricted.
By June, ahead of a hearing over the next stage of Annelise’s care, her relatives said they were hopeful she could be moved to another hospital offering broader treatment options.
In a July 13 update, the family said the little girl had been “successfully transferred to Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, where she has been receiving care over the past couple of weeks,” according to a GoFundMe page.
Since arriving at the New Orleans hospital, Annelise has shown what the fundraiser described as “encouraging signs,” including strong organ function, regular bowel movements, and “excellent oxygen levels and blood pressure/heart rate responses during red light therapy.”
Annelise Camp, the two-year-old Texas girl whose parents refused to let doctors declare her brain dead after a drowning, has been moved to a new hospital for treatment, her family said
She was taken to Texas Children’s Hospital for treatment, but after a doctor suggested they perform a brain death test on Annelise, her parents obtained a temporary restraining order blocking the hospital from doing so
Though her neurological development has not changed, the family said they are remaining ‘patient’ to see progress.
‘We are pursuing every available option, including specialized and exploratory treatments that show promise,’ they added.
The update also came with several new images of Annelise hooked up to machines as her mother, father, and two older siblings stay by her side.
Heartfelt photos showed her older brother and sister lying with her in the hospital bed, while another showed the toddler cuddling her toy doll while her mother, Joy Campy, and her brother held her hand.
When she was still a patient at the hospital in Texas, Annelise’s father, Johnston Camp, said the staff there had ‘been wonderful,’ but the legal system had given the family ‘certain restraints,’ he told KTRK.
ALSO READ: Vince Ready Wikipedia Bio Age: Who Is He? Ethnicity Revealed
He also said that he had seen his daughter improve and wanted to allow that to keep happening.
‘With all these positive results, you can’t cut her lifeline off four or five days into it and prevent her from additional treatments,’ Johnston stated.
The hospital has also agreed to work on trying to get Annelise transferred to another medical facility that can provide more treatment options, court documents said.
And in an update on July 13, the little girl’s family revealed she was ‘successfully transferred to Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, where she has been receiving care over the past couple of weeks’
A new image shared by the family showed the toddler cuddling her toy doll while her mother and brother held her hand
Since the near-fatal drowning accident, two online fundraisers have been launched to help support the family. Above, Annelise with her parents, Johnston and Joy Camp
At the time, a spokesman with Texas Children’s Hospital acknowledged the case, telling the Daily Mail: ‘Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with the family and their loved ones.
‘Our expert and dedicated clinical team is exhausting all medically viable options and we continue to work hard to honor the family’s wishes during this difficult time. Out of respect for their privacy, we are unable to comment further.’
Since the near-fatal drowning accident, two online fundraisers have been launched to help support the family.
The GoFundMe page has raised more than $110,000, and a GiveSendGo fundraiser has amassed nearly $15,000.
All of the money will help cover the mounting medical expenses involved with the child’s care, both pages read.
It is unclear how Annelise is doing as of Monday afternoon.
The Daily Mail contacted Ochsner Medical Center and a lawyer representing the Camp family for comment.
