After a prolonged fight to save their sick baby’s life, Charlie Gard’s parents have been forced to end the heartbreaking struggle.
A recent brain scan conducted by Dr. Michio Hirano on 11-month-old Charlie who suffers from a rare mitochondrial disease, has revealed that Charlie is no longer a candidate for the experimental treatment his parents hoped he could undergo.
Great Ormond Street Hospital where Charlie was being kept on life support had appealed to the courts to withdraw that life support. The courts sided with the hospital, which began Charlie’s parents’ fight to preserve his life.
Charlie’s battle for life was joined by thousands of supporters around the world. A GoFundMe campaign started by Charlie’s parents even raised $1.5 million toward potential treatment for Charlie.
Charlie’s parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, believed Charlie’s condition could be improved with the experimental treatment, but the results of the new brain scan have revealed that Charlie’s condition is irreversible.
According to LifeSiteNews.com, Gard and Yates maintain that if Charlie had been given the treatment back in January when initial brain scans were done, he likely would have recovered.
“Had Charlie been given the treatment sooner he would have had the potential to be a normal, healthy little boy,” said Connie.
Charlie’s parents added that the hospital obstructed Charlie’s treatment through the lengthy court battle.
“There is one simple reason for Charlie's muscles deteriorating to the extent they are in now - TIME. A whole lot of wasted time,” they said. “This is one of the hardest things that we will ever have to say and we are about to do the hardest thing that we'll ever have to do which is to let our beautiful little Charlie go,” they added.
Gard and Yates are setting up a charity to help other children who suffer from conditions like Charlie’s.
Photo courtesy: GoFundMe/Charlie Gard
Publication date: July 24, 2017