Archie Battersbee’s family has said they ‘want something good to come out of this tragedy’ as they vowed to call for ‘change’ following the 12-year-old’s death yesterday.
The schoolboy passed away in hospital at 12.15pm on Saturday surrounded by his family after his life-support treatment was withdrawn at 10am.
He was being kept alive by a combination of medical interventions, including ventilation and drug treatments.
Doctors treating the schoolboy for the last four months declared Archie to be ‘brain-stem dead’, prompting a lengthy but ultimately failed legal battle by his family to continue his life support treatment in the hope he would recover.
In recent days, his parents had made bids to the High Court, Court of Appeal and European Court of Human Rights to have him transferred to a hospice to die, but these were rejected.
In a statement released through the Christian Legal Centre, which has been involved in the case, the family said today: ‘Yesterday we lost our beautiful boy, Archie.
He has fought against all the odds since April, and we are so proud of him.
‘We are thankful for the huge amount of support we’ve received from so many different people. We are grateful to our legal team and others who have stood with us as we have faced these difficult challenges.
‘We want something good to come out of this tragedy and the horrendous experience we have been put through by the system.
No parent or family must go through this again. We have been forced to fight a relentless legal battle by the Hospital Trust while faced with an unimaginable tragedy.
‘We were backed into a corner by the system, stripped of all our rights, and have had to fight for Archie’s real ”best interests” and right to live with everything stacked against us.
This has now happened too often to parents who do not want their critically ill children to have life-support removed.
‘The pressure of the process has been unbelievable. There must be an investigation and inquiry through the proper channels on what has happened to Archie, and we will be calling for change.’
The family released a new photo of their beloved boy as part of their tribute, showing the youngster smiling while dressed in a smart grey suit and blue bow tie.
Archie Battersbee’s family released a new photo (pictured) of their beloved boy after his life support was withdrawn yesterday morning
Family members appeared outside the hospital after Archie had passed away – Hollie’s mother, second from left, and aunt, third from right, both broke down in tears as they spoke to reporters
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Archie Battersbee, of Southend-On-Sea, Essex, suffered brain damage at his home on April 7.
Medics say he was ‘brain dead’
A person lights candles outside the Royal London hospital in Whitechapel, east London, following the death of 12 year old Archie Battersbee
Barts Health NHS Trust said it knows Archie’s story has touched people across the UK – and thanked intensive care and paediatric staff for their hard work during ‘trying and difficult’ times
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Well-wishers have been lighting candles and leaving flowers outside the Royal Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, where Archie was being treated.
Mother Hollie Dance and aunt Ella were among close relatives who told reporters yesterday he had died.
Hollie said: ‘It is our deepest sadness to tell you all that Archie passed at 12.15 today.
‘Can I just say that I’m the proudest mum in the world, such a beautiful little boy, and he fought right until the very end – and I am so proud to be his mum.’
All were visibly heartbroken, especially as Ms Carter described Archie’s final moments.
She said: ‘He was taken off all medication at 10 o’clock. His entire stats remained completely stable for two hours until they reduced ventilation. And then he went completely blue.’
The family comforted each other as they broke down in tears, before turning away and leaving the area.
The fiancée of Archie’s eldest brother Tom, Ella Rose Carter, said: ‘There is absolutely nothing dignified about watching a family member or a child suffocate.
‘We hope no family has to go through what we have been through.
It’s barbaric.’
The 12-year-old had been in a coma since he was found unconscious by his mother on April 7.
His family believe he may have been taking part in an online challenge after he was found unconscious by his mother with a cord wrapped around his neck.
Chief medical officer at Barts Health NHS Trust Alistair Chesser said: ‘Archie Battersbee passed away on Saturday afternoon at The Royal London Hospital after treatment was withdrawn 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 paediatric 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.
This tragic case not only affected the family and his carers but touched the hearts of many across the country.’
Archie’s mother, Hollie Dance, said last night she is ‘broken’, but has done everything she promised Archie she would do in her fight to give him more time.
In an emotional interview with Sky News, she said: ‘The last however many weeks since 7th 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.
‘Archie really is the heart of our family, he is so loved. He leaves an impact wherever he goes. He’s a lovable little boy.
Very bubbly – he’s just happy all of the time.’
Hollie Dance (second left) surrounded by family and friends, outside the Royal London hospital in Whitechapel, east London
Archie’s father, Paul Battersbee, and mother, Hollie Dance, are no longer a couple – but both have fought hard to sustain Archie’s life-support treatment
Archie was supported in hospital by soft toys, visits from friends and family and his mother, who stayed by his bedside for weeks at a time
After fighting to maintain life support treatment in the hope he would recover despite multiple experts testifying to the contrary, the family lost a last-ditch battle to move him to a hospice to die ‘peacefully’, after doctors said it was too risky.
His loved ones held on to the hope he would get better, but doctors warned in April he had little chance of recovery, before saying they believed him to be ‘brain stem dead’ – which is considered non-recoverable.
Successive courts heard that all of Archie’s bodily functions were dependent on hospital machinery.
Floral and candle tributes were left outside the Royal London Hospital in dedication to Archie. Family friends and supporters of their campaign gathered in solidarity outside its entrance.
Shelley Elias, 43, said she had come to the Royal London Hospital because she ‘wanted his mum Hollie and the family to know I was thinking of them’.
Mrs Elias, a mother of two from Stepney, east London, who said she vaguely knew Archie’s mother, brought flowers, a card and some candles.
She said: ‘I did not know what to write because there are no words that will take the pain away.
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. When things like this happen, you just think ‘I have nothing to moan about in life’.’
Candles flickered in the shape of the letter ‘A’ and also formed a love heart around a card with Archie’s name in a makeshift tribute at a statue in front of the hospital.
It was created by passers-by who said they wanted to show their support.
Archie’s case is just one of multiple recent tragedies where parents have fought against doctors’ decisions to stop providing life support to their children, after it has been decided it is no longer in their best interests.
Most agree such battles are extremely difficult for all concerned, and there are calls to review current legislation around state and parental rights in order to avoid children’s lives being fought over in similar incidents in the future.
Such cases are always fiercely contested, and the involvement of religious groups can make decisions all the more difficult for family and friends.
Archie’s doctors argued in court that he was almost certainly ‘brain dead’ and further treatment was not in his best interests.
They said Archie had suffered ‘irreversible cessation of brain stem function’ and had died at the end of May.
But his family disagreed: Hollie described Archie gripping her hand, opening his eyes and even crying. Doctors ran tests in the wake of this but found no improvement in Archie’s condition.
Archie’s mother previously said: ‘I know I’ve done a very good job being Archie’s mum.
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.’
She continued: ‘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’.’
‘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?’
Close family friend and boxing coach Ollie Bessell shared news on social media that the process of withdrawing treatment had begun.
He said: ‘I have the heartbreaking responsibility to let all of our followers know that this morning, The Royal London Hospital began the removal of Archie’s life support system.
‘Talking from a personal point of view, this is a hard one to take.
A few weeks ago, I was sat in a room with Archie and I felt the life in him. Although he was not in a good position, he was still very much there.’
Doctors treating the schoolboy for the last four months declared Archie to be ‘brain-stem dead’ in May, prompting a lengthy but ultimately failed legal battle by his family to continue his life support treatment in the hope he would recover.
Barts Health NHS Trust had said previously that no changes will be made to Archie’s care ‘until the outstanding legal issues are resolved’.
Archie’s parents applied to the Court of Appeal on Friday, after losing a High Court bid to have him moved to a hospice before his life-sustaining treatment is withdrawn.
The Court of Appeal confirmed that permission to appeal had been refused.
In a ruling at the High Court on Friday morning (August 5) Mrs Justice Theis concluded it was not in Archie’s best interests to be moved from Royal London Hospital, as it could hasten his deterioration.
In the same case, she ruled that the supply of palliative oxygen, which is used to boost oxygen levels in breathless patients, ‘should be left to the clinical team on the ground.’ It is unknown at this stage whether Archie received oxygen after ventilation had been reduced.
She added: ‘Sadly, the evidence points to it being unlikely he will breathe once treatment is withdrawn due his severely compromised medical position and the extent of his injuries.’
His mother Hollie Dance (pictured) said she wanted her son to ‘spend his last moments’ together with family privately, complaining of a lack of privacy at the hospital
Ollie Bessell, a family friend and boxing coach, told followers on social media this morning that the process of withdrawing Archie’s life support has begun – but later deleted the post
Archie’s mother, Hollie Dance, said last night she is ‘broken’, but has done everything she promised Archie she would do in her fight to give him more time
<div class="art-ins mol-factbox news halfRHS" data-version="2" id="mol-05a31b90-1453-11ed-9362-d55b1068ae86" website Battersbee's family demand an inquiry after 12-year-old's death
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