Doctors Say Revived Toddler Has Serious Brain Damage

The Fullerton toddler whom doctors mistakenly declared dead after she nearly drowned has suffered serious brain damage, is comatose and will be severely developmentally disabled, her doctors said Wednesday.

Tests this week will determine whether 22-month-old Makayla Jespersen can hear or see, her doctors said at a news conference.

Dr. James Cappon said Makayla’s eyes are open, but “she’s not responding to the world.”

While she is out of intensive care and not using a ventilator to aid her breathing, the girl is being fed through a tube in her stomach.

“Her brain was deprived of oxygen and is not functioning normally and is not improving,” Dr. Troy McGuire said.

Makayla was discovered Nov. 7 floating in the family pool by her mother and taken by paramedics to Anaheim Memorial Hospital where, after efforts to resuscitate her, emergency room doctors declared her dead.

About 40 minutes later, a police officer who was taking routine photographs of her noticed her chest was moving and called for help.

Cappon said Makayla’s condition would not be different had doctors treated her during those 40 minutes because her injuries occurred when she was under water and deprived of oxygen.

The news conference took place at Children’s Hospital of Orange County, where Makayla is in stable condition. This was the first time her doctors and parents have spoken publicly about the girl’s condition.

Gabriel Jespersen read a short statement while his wife, Missy, held his hand and struggled to hold back tears.

“Though Makayla has surpassed most predictions about her future, it is still apparent that she has a long, hard battle ahead of her,” he said.

The Jespersens, who have two other children, a 4-year-old girl and Makayla’s twin sister, left the news conference without answering questions.

Their attorney, Brian Oxman, said he expected to file a lawsuit challenging the girl’s medical treatment but had not decided whom he would target.

The state Department of Health Services, which regulates hospitals, found no violations in the Jespersen case. The Medical Board of California, which has jurisdiction over doctors, is continuing to investigate.