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Archie Battersbee's parents have requested for him to be moved from the Royal London Hospital to a hospice. This comes after doctors decided to put an end to the life support the 12-year-old was under as he battled for his life while in a coma for four months.
On April 7, Battersbee's mother told reporters that she discovered her son unconscious with a ligature around his head.
As his parents file a request with the High Court, doctors argue that there is a “significant risk” in moving him. Archie Battersbee’s mother Hollie Dance, in a statement to the BBC, said that she prays the High Court will make the correct decision. She added:
“If they refuse permission for us to take him to a hospice and for him to receive palliative oxygen it will simply be inhumane and nothing about Archie's 'dignity'. We will fight to the end for Archie's right to live.”
Dance then went on to express that she wishes to say goodbye to her son “in a peaceful hospice” where the family will be “uninterrupted by the noise and chaos.”
As the family continues to battle for Battersbee's life, the lawyers at Barts Health NHS Trust, who run the Royal London Hospital, wrote a letter to the family's legal team. The letter stated that transferring the youngster to a hospice would "be opposed on both a procedural basis and best interest basis.”
The letter continued:
“The trust continues to put Archie's welfare and best interests at the forefront of its decision making about his care. It believes that Archie's condition is unstable and that transferring him even a short distance involves significant risk.”
Archie Battersbee remains at the Royal London Hospital, though his treatments have come to an end, as reported by BBC.
What happened to Archie Battersbee?
The 12-year-old was hospitalized after taking part in a dangerous TikTok trend titled the Blackout Challenge. Battersbee was found unconscious with a ligature mark over his head on April 7.
A ligature refers to a piece of bonded, knotted, or tied fabric. The young boy never regained consciousness following his participation in the trend and has been in a coma since. A High Court ruling announced that his life support treatment should be put to an end and that the hospital will give his parents a chance to appeal.
Since then, Battersbee’s parents have argued that his brainstem has been significantly damaged. However, he has a stable heartbeat and is able to regulate his temperature and blood pressure. His parents have since been attempting to buy more time for him.
As the court battle between the NHS and the family continued, the NHS’ trust announced they would withdraw his treatment at 11 BST on Thursday, August 4, unless the family applied for a hospice move, which they went on to do.
The family also approached the European Court of Human Rights in hopes of getting the hospital to continue his treatment. This took place before Battersbee’s life support was taken off.
The 12-year-old's mother also revealed that they were considering offers from Japan and Italy to treat Archie Battersbee until he breathes his last.
