The heartbroken family of Archie Battersbee, who has been in a coma since he was found unresponsive by his mother, are now spending ‘precious time’ with the 12-year-old as life-sustaining treatment will be withdrawn.
According to campaign group Christian Concern, all legal options have been exhausted after the European Court of Human Rights stated that it will not intervene.
Archie is being kept alive at the Royal London Hospital by a combination of medical interventions, including drug treatments and ventilation.
The family lost their legal bid to have Archie moved from hospital to a hospice before his life-support is removed.
The Court of Appeal reportedly confirmed that permission to appeal had been rejected and that the European Court of Human Rights will not take an action.
“I know I did everything I could,” Archie’s mother Hollie Dance, 46, said. “Everything.”
As the family approached ‘the end,’ the stoicism Archie’s mom has maintained for several months has now left her.
“I know I’ve done a very good job being Archie’s mum,” she says.
“Based on my own childhood I was determined to be as good as a mother as I can possibly be and I feel like I have done that to the very best of my ability. It’s one of the reasons I am here.”
Speaking with Daily Mail, the heartbroken mother said: “All I have ever asked is to get him to six months – where is the harm in that for them? They have spent a fortune on legal fees fighting me in court – money they could have spent on Archie’s care and others.’
She continued: “There has been a lot of focus on Archie’s dignity, and I passionately believe that the most dignified death for him would be away from the machines and noise of a hospital ward.
“At its heart this has been a case about a mother’s love, but also their rights. At what point did Archie’s dad and I lose our parental rights in terms of deciding what we want for our child?”
Hollie believes her son was taking part in a dangerous online ‘blackout’ challenge. He was left with a catastrophic brain injury after being starved of oxygen.
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