Jahi McCath's mother claims that her daughter has shown signs of life since being moved 10 weeks ago, but she is still "asleep."
Speaking with NBC Philadelphia and NBC Bay Area, Nailah Winkfield said, "I do not use the word 'brain-death' towards my daughter."
On Thursday night, she was honored by the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network for her continued attempts to keep her daughter alive, despite McMath being labeled brain-dead by hospitals.
New York Daily News reports that Winkfield says that her daughter shows signs of life, such as moving slightly in bed and moving her arms and legs.
"Her movement is a big deal to me," McMath's mother said. "If somebody was totally, 100 percent brain dead, I don't think they'd be able to move as much as my daughter does."
Daily News notes that since moving her daughter to an undisclosed location, Winkfield left her job and rarely sees her other children, who stay with relatives. She admits to missing her other children, but they understand "why I'm gone."
Winkfield says that once a week she gives her daughter a manicure and pedicure and braids her hair while playing music for her 13-year-old daughter. "I can do it as long as her heart is beating and as long as my heart is beating."
McMath suffered blood loss and a heart attack following a routine procedure to remove her tonsils. The hospital declared her brain dead shortly afterwards, but her mother has refused to give up on her daughter.