Parents of the dying Charlie Garda decided to stop treatment of the son
'25.07.2017'
Source: with the BBC
Connie Yates and Chris Guard, parents of the dying 11 – month-old Charlie, decided to withdraw the request to send their son to experimental treatment in the United States. And in the near future, the parents intend to say goodbye to their son and let him go. Reports about it with the BBC.
Charlie Gard was born on August 4, 2016 with a very rare genetic disorder, mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome. This disease causes progressive muscle tissue atrophy and brain damage. At the moment, only 16 such cases have been recorded.
Because of this disease, the boy does not have enough energy for the normal functioning of the body. At the moment, Charlie does not see, does not hear, can not move. In addition, the brain damage in a child is already irreversible.
Earlier, the British courts and the European Court of Human Rights decided on the need to disconnect a child from artificial respiration and life support devices, since further treatment would bring him harm.
Connie and Chris wanted to take Charlie for experimental treatment in the US, but the court banned.
During the court hearings, lawyers who represented the hospital acknowledged that there was no point in keeping the child on the apparatus. Since it lowers the quality of life of the baby and only continues to maintain the function of vital activity in it.
Victoria Butler-Cole, a lawyer who represented Charlie, said that the proposed treatment in the United States is experimental and does not give any chances for the child to recover.
The boy’s lawyer’s parents said that trying to send a boy to the USA would not be any worse and should be given a chance at least that it could improve Charlie’s quality of life.
Doctors of the hospital where the boy was kept also claim that Charlie has virtually no chance of survival.
However, Connie Yates and Chris Guard started a fundraiser to take her son to the United States, where experimental treatment methods are being developed. They managed to collect about 2 million dollars.
For the boy stood up US President Donald Trump. He volunteered to help a British boy suffering from a rare genetic disease, who is being prepared to be disconnected from life support systems at a London hospital.
“If we can help little Charlie Garda through our friends in the UK and the Pope, we would be happy to do it,” Trump wrote in Twitter.
Three weeks ago, New York Hospital New York Presbyterian and Columbia University Irving Medical Center suggested take on charlie's treatment. In addition, they were ready to send an experimental medicine to the UK. However, for this, the hospital also needs FDA approval.
And the hospital owned by the Vatican, located in Rome, expressed its willingness to take the child. But it turned out to be impossible to take the baby to Rome - “legal difficulties” prevented it.
Last week, American neurologist Michio Hirano did a second tomography. After studying the results, Michio came to the conclusion that conducting experimental therapy does not make sense.
Upon learning of such a verdict from an American doctor, Charlie's parents made a difficult decision to withdraw their request for treatment and agree to disconnect from life-support apparatus.
“We're going to do one of the hardest things we've ever had to do and let our baby Charlie go. Our Charlie has touched and influenced as many people in his 11 months as people fail in a lifetime, ”said Chris Gard, struggling to hold back tears, outside the High Court of London.
