The family of a New York City college student who was left in a coma after brain surgery is fighting to stop a hospital from taking the young woman off life support.
Amber Ebanks, 23, a business student at Monroe College, suffered a ruptured arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in February, according to her family. GoFundMe.
She underwent scheduled surgery at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx on July 30 to stop the bleeding, but suffered a major stroke during the operation and was placed in a medically induced coma.
The hospital declared her brain dead and wanted to pull the plug, but the Ebanks family is fighting in civil court to keep her on life support until she can be moved to a care facility.
“They (Montefiore Hospital) are some of the cruelest people I’ve ever met,” said her sister Kay Ebanks. ABC 13.
Amber suffered a ruptured arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in February and underwent scheduled surgery to embolize the bleeding vessel on July 30.
Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx declared him brain dead, but the Embanks family is fighting a legal battle to prevent his power from being cut off.
“She was perfectly fine and it’s incredible the condition she’s in now and that she was taken off life support in less than a month.”
The family’s attorney, Chauncey Henry, told DailyMail.com that they have been able to obtain a temporary restraining order against the hospital to keep Amber on life support.
After Amber suffered the ruptured AVM, she was able to return to a normal life. She drove herself to her scheduled surgery and recorded the advice given to her by the doctors.
AVMs are abnormal tangles of blood vessels that can cause irregular connections between arteries and veins, often developing in the spinal cord and brain.
Amber’s surgery was planned to embolize the vessel, a medical procedure designed to prevent or stop bleeding.
The family said they had not been given a reason as to why the hospital was so eager to end Amber’s care.
“When you have someone who hasn’t woken up yet, how can you decide that?” Henry said.
‘When it comes to brain injuries, it takes time. There is no need to rush to judgment.
Amber Ebanks, 23, is a business student at Monroe College and was put on life support after brain surgery left her in a coma.
The family has been able to obtain a temporary restraining order against Montefiore (pictured) to keep Amber on life support.
“Like any muscle, the brain needs time to heal; it’s only been three weeks.”
Amber’s father lives in Jamaica (where Amber is from) and is currently trying to get a visa to come see his daughter.
New Beginnings, a Long Island care center, agreed to take over Amber’s care.
“Everyone needs hope. We can’t give up. We can’t take this little girl off the ventilator when she needs more time,” New Beginnings founder Allyson Scerri told the local news station.
DailyMail.com reached out to Montefiore Hospital for comment. A spokesperson told ABC13 they were unable to comment due to patient privacy laws.
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