Baby, who was born prematurely with a rare condition and has been on a respirator most of her life, was sent home following a court battle to keep doctors from removing her from life-sustaining treatment

The toddler who has been at the center of a years-long legal battle to keep her alive, has been discharged from the hospital where she has spent her entire life. The baby was born prematurely with lung and heart issues that required her to be connected to machines to survive. Doctors determined their continued intervention would cause unnecessary suffering and sought to end care. The baby’s mother has fought a court battle to keep doctors from removing her from life-sustaining treatment. And now, her daughter has improved enough that she was released from the hospital and will now be cared for at home.

The fight for her life began in February 2019. Trinity Lewis said that her 3-year-old daughter Tinslee Lewis has been hospitalized at Cook’s Children Medical Center in Texas ever since. The medical personnel determined their continued intervention would cause unnecessary suffering and, citing the Texas Advance Directives Act, sought to end care.

One of the things the Texas Advance Directives Act allows is doctors who disagree with either a patient’s decision to continue life or a family’s decision to maintain life can appeal to a hospital bioethics committee. Should the committee agree with the doctor, the family has 10 days to find alternative care or else the treatment may be terminated, the Star Telegram reports.

Tinslee’s mother fought the law and even went up to the U.S. Supreme Court, though they chose not to review it.

Over the past three years, Tinslee’s family, friends, and supporters have been rallying around her to fight for her right to live.

And last week, they finally got what they wanted. Tinslee was discharged from the hospital.

Trinity Lewis reportedly wrote on Facebook: “I’m sorry but i can’t hold it in any longer today my baby came home and I’m filled with joy and emotions right now. This journey have been nothing but hard and stressful and i am truly blessed i was able to do everything i can to bring her home. Shes doing so good. If it wasn’t for my mom for molding for this journey i would have lost myself a long time ago.”

While Tinslee’s condition since she has been home is unknown, her mother wrote her little girl is doing so good.

While doctors initially believed Tinslee wouldn’t make any improvement, she had been receiving occupational therapy and had been slowing weaning off pain medication, according to the Star-Telegram.

In 2021, she was healthy enough to have a tracheotomy. The procedure “opened the door for her no longer needing a hospital-level of care,” Kimberlyn Schwartz, director of media and communication for Texas Right to Life, the pro-life organization that assisted the Lewis family, said.

Even though there had been a legal battle going on between Trinity and Cook’s Children Medical Center, Trinity profusely thanked the staff for caring for her child.

“THANK YOU Cooks Children for also supporting me and doing everything y’all can to help keep my baby here I appreciate everything y’all have done truly !!!!”

“The medical teams at Cook Children’s have dedicated their lives to healing children, and go to tireless lengths to do what they believe in their hearts and minds to be the very best decision for each and every patient,” the medical facility said in a statement.