A SERIOUSLY ill baby boy, whose parents lost a High Court battle to keep him alive, died in hospital yesterday after his life support machine was switched off.
The nine-month-old baby — known only as OT, who cannot be identified for legal reasons died after doctors carried out a judge’s ruling.
Christopher Cuddihee, a lawyer for the baby’s parents, said the death followed the “withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment” by the unnamed NHS hospital where he was being cared for.
In a statement, the baby’s parents said: “During his short time with us, OT became the focus of our lives. We were present during his last moments, together with OT’s extended family. He died peacefully. We will miss him greatly and wish to say we are proud to have known our beautiful son for his brief life.”
The parents had fought to keep the child alive despite doctors claiming he had endured a “life of suffering” that should be allowed to end.
Last week, Mrs Justice Parker ruled the boy did not have the right to life “in all circumstances”.
After a 10-day hearing, she gave doctors permission to turn off the ventilator that had kept Baby OT alive for eight months. Her decision was upheld late on Friday night by two Court of Appeal judges.
Yesterday lawyers for the NHS trust which brought the court case to allow Baby OT to die declined to discuss it. The trust, like the parents, cannot be identified under the court’s gagging order. Caroline Harry Thomas QC, its barrister, said: “I do not wish to make any comment on this very sad case.” Cuddihee said it was “a very difficult and emotional time” for his clients. He declined to say more.
Baby OT suffered from a rare metabolic disease. He had brain damage and respiratory failure. Victims of the disorder cannot process food and oxygen into energy properly, leaving byproducts that poison the body.
He was born last May and had been in the hospital’s intensive care unit since he was three weeks old. His parents said he smiled and cooed when being cuddled by his mother and kicked his legs when they gave him a bath. They had hoped that he might one day recover as medical standards improved.
Only one other child with their son’s medical condition had been identified, they said, adding: “We are all in unknown territory.” They remained “deeply distressed” by the court’s decision and said the life of their “beautiful boy” was worth preserving. The case contrasts with that of Charlotte Wyatt who was born in 2003, three months prematurely and weighing only 1lb. She suffered severe brain and lung damage. Her parents won a court battle to ensure she was revived in the event of a collapse. Charlotte survived, although she has severe disabilities.
Baby OT’s Afghan father, who is from a professional background, speaks English although his mother does not. Their relations with hospital staff became strained at the end of last year after doctors at the hospital first told them they wanted to withdraw treatment.
The parents insisted they “had to fight to ensure that he is given every possible chance”.
Professor Sam Leinster of the University of East Anglia school of medicine said: “My heart goes out to the family but also to the medical team. The court is charged with weighing all the evidence that is put before them.
“There is a belief among us, it’s kind of fed by everyone around us, that medicine has the answer to everything. But unfortunately there are occasions where medicine can’t do anything.”
A British Medical Association spokesman said: “We are extremely empathetic to the parents at this incredibly difficult time. But . . . when there is disagreement between parents and a child’s clinical team, the only option is for the case to go to court and for the courts to decide what action would be in the interests of the child. The clinical team must be guided by best interest.”
In her ruling, Mrs Justice Parker accepted that the parents “love him devotedly”, but said the father’s belief that Baby OT would get better and come home and go to school was “sadly, wholly unrealistic”.
Baby OT died at 10.08am yesterday.
Source:the times
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