CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia (AP) — Jerry Childress says his 26-year-old son’s pulse and blood pressure jump on hospital monitors from the sound of a familiar voice or the roar of a NASCAR race on television.
Jason Childress simply needs time to heal from massive brain damage that left him in a vegetative state, his father believes.
Childress’ mother, sister and fiancee disagree and are seeking to have him taken off life support.
“There’s nothing I would want more than for him to open his eyes,” Amy Little said of her brother. “But he used to work in a nursing home, and he said he wouldn’t want to live that way.”
The decision on Childress’ future will eventually be made by a court-appointed guardian because his divorced parents can’t agree. It’s an unusual solution, and experts say they don’t know of a case in which the disagreement between parents ran so deep that the ultimate decision rested with a guardian appointed by a court.
[Full Story]
