UK: 11-month-old Charlie Gard, ‘beautiful little boy’ at heart of dispute, dies | World News - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

UK: 11-month-old Charlie Gard, ‘beautiful little boy’ at heart of dispute, dies

Reuters, London | By
Jul 29, 2017 08:37 PM IST

Charlie Gard, a British baby who became the subject of a bitter dispute between his parents and doctors over whether he should be taken to the United States for experimental treatment, has died.

Charlie Gard, a British baby who became the subject of a bitter dispute between his parents and doctors over whether he should be taken to the United States for experimental treatment, has died, the Daily Mail newspaper’s website said on Friday.

This is an undated photo of sick 11-month old baby Charlie Gard provided by his family, taken at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. British media are reporting a family announcement that 11-month old Charlie Gard, has died Friday July 28, 2017.(AP File Photo)
This is an undated photo of sick 11-month old baby Charlie Gard provided by his family, taken at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. British media are reporting a family announcement that 11-month old Charlie Gard, has died Friday July 28, 2017.(AP File Photo)

The 11-month-old baby suffered from an extremely rare genetic condition causing progressive brain damage and muscle weakness, and his parents’ long struggle to save him drew an international outpouring of sympathy.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

“Our beautiful little boy has gone, we are so proud of you Charlie,” Connie Yates, the baby’s mother, was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

Great Ormond Street Hospital, where Charlie had been receiving treatment, had no immediate comment on the Daily Mail report.

After a harrowing legal battle that prompted a global debate over who has the moral right to decide the fate of a sick child, a judge on Thursday ordered that Charlie be moved to a hospice where the ventilator that keeps him alive would be turned off.

Yates and the baby’s father Chris Gard had wanted Charlie to undergo a treatment that has never been tried on anyone with his condition before, against the advice of doctors at his London hospital who said it would not benefit him and would prolong his suffering.

Charlie required a ventilator to breathe and was unable to see, hear or swallow.

The case drew comment from U.S. President Donald Trump, who tweeted on July 3 that “we would be delighted” to help Charlie, and from Pope Francis, who called for the parents to be allowed to do everything possible to treat their child.

Britain’s courts, after hearing a wealth of medical evidence, ruled that it would go against Charlie’s best interests to have the experimental nucleoside therapy advocated by a U.S. professor of neurology, Michio Hirano.

The case prompted heated debate on social media and in the press on medical ethics, and staff at the Great Ormond Street Hospital which treated him received abuse and death threats.

Unlock a world of Benefits with HT! From insightful newsletters to real-time news alerts and a personalized news feed – it's all here, just a click away! - Login Now!

Get Latest World News along with Latest News from India at Hindustan Times.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On