Family of a teenager who died fighting doctors' attempts to withdraw her life ... trends now
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The family of a sick teenager who died while fighting doctors' attempts to withdraw her life support have vowed to continue her legal battle in an extraordinary bid to prove the courts got it wrong about her.
Sudiksha Thirumalesh, 19, died earlier this month from a rare genetic disorder in the midst of a months-long fight with an NHS trust, which cannot be named, while she was subject to a strict gagging order.
Just weeks before Sudiksha's death she had launched a legal appeal after a judge ruled that she did not have the 'mental capacity' to make decisions about her own medical care and that the courts should determine her future.
The ruling was made despite two court-appointed psychiatrists insisting that she did have 'capacity', with one noting that she was 'comfortable, smiling [and] alert'.
'Sudiksha was devastated by the decision, but she sadly died before her appeal could be heard in court,' her brother Varshan, 27, said last night. 'Even until her last breath she was fully conscious and she had full capacity. We feel the ruling wasn't right and we want to try to change that.'
Sudiksha Thirumalesh, 19, died earlier this month from a rare genetic disorder
Her family, who live in the Midlands, said they will now continue pursuing her appeal on her behalf.
Varshan added: 'She was able to communicate her wishes. She would sometimes use her speaking valve or a notebook and pen. She would write questions to the nurses and could express her concerns.'
Sudiksha was hospitalised last year after
