'Don't kill Bobby': Mother fighting Ann Arbor hospital to keep son on life support wins court battle

14-year-old pronounced brain dead after asthma attack, cardiac arrest

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A mother fighting to stop an Ann Arbor hospital from taking her 14-year-old son off life support won a court battle to keep doctors from pulling the plug.

Sarah Jones has been desperately trying to stop Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor from taking her son, Bobby Reyes, off life support.

Bobby was pronounced brain-dead a little more than a week ago after suffering an asthma attack and cardiac arrest.

Monday morning was the deadline to pull the plug, but Jones won a court battle to keep life support going.

The court victory brought Jones little joy because of the uphill climb her son faces and the gravity of his medical condition.

Bobby will remain on life support at the hospital, but his mother believes he's already showing signs of improvement.

Her argument is that given enough time, there's a slim chance Bobby's brain might heal itself. She went to court Monday in Ann Arbor with a small army of fellow prayer warriors to stop the hospital.

She won the injunction, so life support will continue.

A "Don't kill Bobby" rally was held outside the 15th District Court at 8 a.m. Monday.

Jones' next task is to find a facility that will keep Bobby on advanced life support for at least the next 28 days, if not longer. She said it could be enough time to determine if he's truly gone, or if a miracle can happen.

Jones said she's ready to move her family to a new state if that's what's necessary to keep her son on life support.

You can watch Paula Tutman's full story in the video posted above.

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About the Authors

Paula Tutman is an Emmy award-winning journalist who came to Local 4 in 1992. She's married and the stepmother of three beautiful and brilliant daughters. Her personal philosophy in life, love and community is, "Do as much as you can possibly do, not as little as you can possibly get away with".

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.

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