TX: Parents battle doctors as critically ill newborn fights for her life

[rainbow4321]

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/news/042805_local_babybattl...

At five months old, a local baby girl is already caught in the middle of a life or death debate. The little girl has leukemia and a rare type of flesh-eating disease, and her family is fighting to keep their baby alive.

Little Knya Dismuke Howard is only five months old. She is still fighting for her life at Memorial Hermann Hospital. But while she's in the intensive care unit, her parents are fighting against doctors.

But Charles says Knya's doctors don't want to continue treatment. Born last November, Knya was diagnosed with leukemia a month later. First she received chemotherapy from MD Anderson Cancer Center. Then, two months ago, she contracted a bacterial skin infection and was transferred to Memorial Hermann Hospital. Her condition is critical.

Memorial Hermann Hospital officials released a statement that reads in part, "In certain unfortunate cases where the death of a patient is unavoidable and medical experts believe that continued treatment will only increase pain and suffering, the physician may ask for a meeting of the Committee for Review of Medically Inappropriate/Futile Treatment. That committee is meeting today to examine the case of little Knya."