Charlie Gard’s Parents Announce His Death Following Move to Hospice

Charlie's parents claim their final wishes regarding his last days on earth were denied.

By Liberty McArtor Published on July 28, 2017

Charlie Gard’s parents announced the death of their 11-month-old Friday. A Thursday court order from Judge Nicholas Francis at the High Court in London said Charlie would be moved to a hospice and taken off his ventilator shortly after the move. 

Connie Yates and Chris Gard asked to bring Charlie, who suffered severe mitochondrial depletion syndrome and could not move or breathe on his own, to their London flat to spend his final days. They expressed this final wish after withdrawing a request to take him to the U.S. for experimental treatment. The decision ended a months-long legal battle between the parents and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), where Charlie had been since October.

Yates and Gard wanted Charlie to undergo three months of nucleoside therapy. One U.S. doctor said the treatment had at least a 10 percent chance of helping Charlie. Both President Donald Trump and Pope Francis spoke out in support of Charlie’s parents. Hospitals in the U.S. and the Vatican offered assistance. But GOSH insisted that Charlie must be taken off life support to prevent further suffering. 

Yates and Gard only ended the legal fight after new tests revealed Charlie’s muscles had atrophied beyond hope of any improvement.

In response to Gard and Yates’ final request to take Charlie home, GOSH argued that moving his life-sustaining equipment to the flat would be impossible. GOSH suggested a hospice instead, which his parents agreed to.

As of Wednesday, there was still disagreement over details regarding his final days of care. Yates and Gard wanted around a week with their son. GOSH told the court no hospice could be found willing to oversee Charlie’s ventilation for that much time, despite some nurses from GOSH volunteering to help care for him. 

On Wednesday Francis ruled that if the parties could not agree on Charlie’s care by noon on Thursday, he would be moved to an undisclosed hospice and taken off his ventilator shortly thereafter. No agreement was reached.

In a statement, Yates said that “despite us and our legal team working tirelessly to arrange this near impossible task, the judge has ordered against what we arranged and has agreed to what GOSH asked. This subsequently gives us very little time with our son.”

“We just want some peace with our son, no hospital, no lawyers, no courts, no media, just quality time with Charlie away from everything, to say goodbye to him in the most loving way,” she said. “We’ve had no control over our son’s life and no control over our son’s death.”

The hospital said in a statement Thursday that “we have tried absolutely everything to accommodate their final wishes.”

“There is simply no way that Charlie, a patient with such severe and complex needs, can spend any significant time outside of an intensive care environment safely,” GOSH concluded. It cited fears of “an unplanned and chaotic end of Charlie’s life.”

On Thursday GOSH stated it would arrange Charlie’s transfer to “a specialist children’s hospice.” The hospital promised the hospice would work to “make these last moments as comfortable and peaceful as possible for Charlie and his loved ones.”

The timing of the move and location of the hospice were kept private under legal order.

“Our beautiful little boy has gone, we are so proud of you Charlie,” Yates said.

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