Brain dead but still in treatment?

There doesn't seem to be a thread about the tragic case of Jahi McMath, the teenage girl who suffered terrible complications during a tonsillectomy. Multiple doctors have determined that she is brain-dead, but her family disagrees. CNN just reported that she is being transferred to a long-term care facility whose representative was interviewed and claimed that her own father and other patients had recovered from brain death and "prayer is powerful" and girl is inside just waiting to come out.



What's going on here? Dead is dead, right? Is this heartbroken family being victimized by con artists, or is there any guesswork associated with a determination of brain death, or what? I understand that machines can (and in this case will) maintain heartbeat, breathing etc., but is there any doubt about brain death? How is this possible?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...pital/4307907/

via JREF Forum http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=271468&goto=newpost