This is yet another very tragic story of a young life that faded away way too early. The worst thing is, this may have been much different. Only if the hospital was willing to leave him on life support any longer.
Archie Battersbee was a 12-year-old boy. He was stationed in the Royal London hospital after sustaining a fatal injury. The little fighter fought for his life until his last breath.
Parents Lose Legal Battle Over Life Support – Their 12-Year-Old Child Dies Against Their Will – Sympathy And Support Comes From All Over The World
Doctors and officials determined when his last breath will be. They removed the life support from him once the information about his parents losing the legal battle arrived.
Hollie Dance, the kid’s mother says that she is the ‘proudest mother’ because her son fought ‘right until the very end’.
“In sadness, Archie passed at 12.15 pm today. I would just like to say I am the proudest mum in the world. He was such a beautiful little boy. He fought right until the very end and I am so proud to be his mum.” – Hollie says.
Relatives and friends of the family are devastated by the hospital’s actions.
“His stats remained completely stable for two hours until they completely removed ventilation and he went completely blue.” – a close relative to the family says. “There is absolutely nothing dignified about watching a family member or a child suffocate. No family should ever have to go through what we have been through – it is barbaric.”
Support arrives from all over England. Supporters and sympathizers still arrive at the hospital. They created an ‘A’ shaped flower and candle monument in Archie’s honor.
“I did not know what to write because there are no words that will take the pain away.” – a mother of two children near Archie’s age says. “I just wanted the mum and her family to know that I am here for them. My boy is 12, the same age as Archie, and this just puts things in perspective.”
People remember Archie as a gymnast and lover of combat sports. He was full of life and joy. However, he suffered a terrible brain injury on the 7th of April and since then the hospital holds him in a coma. His mother believes that the injury happened while he was trying to do a viral social media challenge.
When he was accepted into the hospital the doctors did the needed research and found out that unfortunately, his brain is stem dead. However, his parents had hoped that his situation might get better. They specifically asked for life support to continue.
A high court judge backed up their request and ruled that it is ‘futile’ to keep him alive.
But, the hospital had something else in mind. In an interview for Sky News, the hospital officials state that there is nothing more that they could do, so they are withdrawing the life support on Saturday at 10 am.
The mother, broken from the news released a statement that she has been feeling awful ever since the incident happened. She stated that she is not ready to let go of her son.
“The last many weeks since 7 April, I don’t think there’s been a day that hasn’t been awful really. It’s been really hard. Despite the hard strong face and appearance obviously, in front of the cameras up until now, I’ve been pretty broken. I’ve done everything that I promised my little boy I’d do. And I’ve done it.”
Hearing about this tragic story, one cannot help but ask himself, how much is a young life worth? The tragic story touched the world.
Barts Health NHS Trust releases a statement that they see this as one of the most tragic events in the recent period in England.
“Archie Battersbee passed away on Saturday afternoon at the Royal London hospital. The hospital withdrew treatment in line with court rulings about his best interests. Members of his family were present at the bedside and our thoughts and heartfelt condolences remain with them at this difficult time.”
“The trust would like to thank the medical, nursing, and support staff in the pediatric intensive care department who looked after Archie following his awful accident. They provided high-quality care with extraordinary compassion over several months in often trying and distressing circumstances.”
Archie Battersbee died because of an unresolved conflict between his parents and the hospital’s authorities. This can mean only one thing. The hospital personnel and hospital authorities have serious problems with the clinical, ethical, and legal approach to such matters.
“The tragic case of Archie Battersbee must lead to reform for averting such conflicts in the future.” – the bioethics center officials state. “Our last thoughts and our prayers are for Archie’s family, and for Archie himself. May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.”
Another tragic and very sad situation surrounding the case is Archie’s plan to have baptism next year. This was his will and his family was saddened when they realized that he will not be conscious around that time. Because of this, Archie’s family decides to baptize him at the hospital.
“Archie spoke about baptizing and wanted his mother to take him to a church service at Christmas. This led to the family having Archie christened as he lay unconscious. Archie’s mother, brother, and sister receive baptism then on Easter Sunday at the hospital.”
