Boy, 5, dies after 21 days in hospital

Amani McIntyre, the five-year-old who suffered brain damage while at a Matura Water Park in August, died while at the Sangre Grande Hospital on Sunday.
Speaking with Newsday this afternoon, relatives said they felt more could have been done to save Amani's life and make his last hours more comfortable.

Newsday understands McIntyre was declared brain dead on September 3 and suffered from various ailments in blood pressure on Saturday.
Relatives said they stood by his side throughout his treatment and were still upset over a refusal to perform surgery on him.

"I really felt more could have been done to try and save him. I would have preferred he died while receiving surgery than on a bed somewhere suffering. He received some anti-biotic treatments the week leading up to his death but not much else.
"It might sound silly but in the day before his death I saw a light shining on him and he just looked different. That's when I knew he was going to die."
The relative said while the family was doing its best to cope with Amani's death, family members were still upset over what they claimed was a lack of treatment from the regional health authorities.

In an earlier interview, Amani's relative claimed that a doctor at the Sangre Grande Hospital suggested that the boy might recover with surgery. The North Central Regional Health Authority, however, denied that, saying there was no treatment available for the reversal of brain damage.
Amani along with relatives visited the waterpark on August 24 where he suffered brain damage due to a lack of oxygen to his brain after being under water for a prolonged period. He remained warded at the hospital for 21 days until he died on Sunday.