Where do we all stand on this?

 

Parents have released a picture today showing the poor lad isn't blind like doctors think.

 

Such a difficult one.

 

I know what I'd be saying if it was my child.

Bloody hell, how did you feel when they said that to you (1 week old bit)?

 

Your head must have been spinning; trying to take everything in, whilst hoping for a miracle.

 

Young charlie should get his chance.

Numb, empty, helpless, useless. Almost an put of body experience. Nothing can ever prepare you for that. Still get a bit of dust in my eyes thinking back.

Great post Mike. Exactly why Charlie should have the opportunity.

 

Pleased to hear that your situation had a great result.

Parents have given up teh legal fight.

 

 

The parents of terminally-ill baby Charlie Gard have ended their legal challenge to take him to the US for experimental treatment.

A lawyer representing Chris Gard and Connie Yates told the High Court that "time had run out" for the 11 month old.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-40708343

Very sad.

We were told at 6 months that my wife had miscarried our daughter.

 

I spoke to one of the doctors as I was confused because there was still a heartbeat and the scan showed a perfectly healthy baby in there. However, we were told a huge bleed was caused by the womb wall rejecting the placenta.

 

As a parent - even of an unborn child - your instincts kick in. I was told it was "a million to one" chance of survival and that is not something you forget. I can still remember the face of the nurse, the time, the place everything.

 

But I just kept saying " there's a heartbeat, surely there's a chance", and I was met with pitied looks and genuine apologies. I felt foolish for pursuing it but all I can say is that an instinct to just do whatever was needed to not give up kicked in. It's a unique feeling and very strong.

 

 

My daughter turns 4 next week.

 

Sometimes, even the million to one shots come off.

 

It's a shite situation, but I fully understand their defiance in pushing this as far as they could.

Edited July 24, 20178 yr by Spider

That's a story and a half. Wonderful outcome though.

I feel the right decision has (finally) been made.

We were told at 6 months that my wife had miscarried our daughter.

 

I spoke to one of the doctors as I was confused because there was still a heartbeat and the scan showed a perfectly healthy baby in there. However, we were told a huge bleed was caused by the womb wall rejecting the placenta.

 

As a parent - even of an unborn child - your instincts kick in. I was told it was "a million to one" chance of survival and that is not something you forget. I can still remember the face of the nurse, the time, the place everything.

 

But I just kept saying " there's a heartbeat, surely there's a chance", and I was met with pitied looks and genuine apologies. I felt foolish for pursuing it but all I can say is that an instinct to just do whatever was needed to not give up kicked in. It's a unique feeling and very strong.

 

 

My daughter turns 4 next week.

 

Sometimes, even the million to one shots come off.

 

It's a shite situation, but I fully understand their defiance in pushing this as far as they could.

Happy birthday to mini Spider next week. Great story with a fantastic outcome. Shame little Charlie wasn't given the same chance 5 month ago when this all first kicked off

Edited July 24, 20178 yr by Mike Hunt

You should blame the American doctor who didn't bother to come over in January then

You should blame the American doctor who didn't bother to come over in January then

 

 

Sensing the start of a crusade here?

 

You'd have pulled the pin months ago would you?

A crusade against whom exactly?

 

The case was always hopeless sadly. Hirano didn't bother to come over in January when invited by GOSH and when he did last week he didn't even bother going to examine Charlie or read his medical notes. So really what was the point?

 

And, if there were absolutely no signs of any quality of life and in perpetual pain, yes, I would have turned off the life support. I would hope every loving parent would do the same.

Edited July 25, 20178 yr by jmjhb

A crusade against whom exactly?

 

The case was always hopeless sadly. Hirano didn't bother to come over in January when invited by GOSH and when he did last week he didn't even bother going to examine Charlie or read his medical notes. So really what was the point?

 

And, if there were absolutely no signs of any quality of life and in perpetual pain, yes, I would have turned off the life support. I would hope every loving parent would do the same.

 

We think differently then. As stated further up the thread, I would have wanted to try to save my son if there was even a 1% chance of success.

A crusade against whom exactly?

 

 

And, if there were absolutely no signs of any quality of life and in perpetual pain, yes, I would have turned off the life support. I would hope every loving parent would do the same.

Spot on

 

I dont think Charlie was being kept alive for Charlie

Let's hope none of us are ever faced with such a decision.

A crusade against whom exactly?

The case was always hopeless sadly. Hirano didn't bother to come over in January when invited by GOSH and when he did last week he didn't even bother going to examine Charlie or read his medical notes. So really what was the point?

And, if there were absolutely no signs of any quality of life and in perpetual pain, yes, I would have turned off the life support. I would hope every loving parent would do the same.

Not dismissing that, but his dad said in his statement yesterday that he was disappointed that the court system was so slow as this prevented earlier intervention. Was the doctor not allowed to visit until the courts said so? I genuinely don't know.

Sometimes it's better just to let go

Spot on

I dont think Charlie was being kept alive for Charlie

Sorry, but I think that's grossly unfair. We don't know the full situation nor how they were feeling.

 

They were being told that there may be treatments that might just have helped. Until such things are tried no one knows if they will definitely work. Sometimes they have to be tried then refined until they become more effective.

Some cancer patients are offered trials of new therapies, one lady last night was given two years max with leukemia.

A pioneering treatment has completely removed her cancer.

 

If you had the chance to try something that might work, even at only a ten per cent chance of success, I know I'd keep a young one in pain for a while until it was tried.

Don't know what was used to help the two kids described above, but at some point those methods would have been new.

i did say from my first post that i was looking at it with no emotional attachment

 

thank god

 

 

all the medics are quoted as saying there was absolutely no chance of improvement and that the child was in pain

 

it all depends whether you believe they know what they are on about

Nice to see a couple of successful outcomes on here. Unfortunately in 2004 I had to allow my first child to have his machine turned off aged just 1 day. Now I don't want any sympathy or owt but cases like this do make me think 'what if' we had said no and gave him longer. He was born unexpectedly, 10 week premature with major complications and little to no chance of surviving off life support.

I must say we gave permission for that machine to be switched off but I also question to this day, 'was we mentally in the right frame of mind to make that decision?'

 

I think my point is, the experts are in the best position to make these decisions but at the same time the parents have to live with the decision to 'allow their child to die' for the rest of their lives.

 

I think my point is, the experts are in the best position to make these decisions but at the same time the parents have to live with the decision to 'allow their child to die' for the rest of their lives.

 

 

in this case, they weren't asked to make a decision

 

from your experience/comment, that is the way you would've preferred it?

in this case, they weren't asked to make a decision

 

from your experience/comment, that is the way you would've preferred it?

Possibly although it felt like we was pushed towards that decision.

 

I think the Gard family could of made the decision themselves but opted to fight against it.

I don't think there is a right or wrong answer as there's so much emotion involved.

fwiw, i agree

It's the point I was trying to make really.

 

I was acting purely on instinct and whilst I wouldn't have admitted it at the time I was being driven completely by emotion.

 

Luckily we din't have to make a decision to switch off any machines - I'd like to think though that if that had been the case "rational" me would have gone with the medical experts.My heart says I wouldn't.

 

Echo the main summary - it's just a shitty shitty state of affairs.

We were told at 6 months that my wife had miscarried our daughter.

 

I spoke to one of the doctors as I was confused because there was still a heartbeat and the scan showed a perfectly healthy baby in there. However, we were told a huge bleed was caused by the womb wall rejecting the placenta.

 

As a parent - even of an unborn child - your instincts kick in. I was told it was "a million to one" chance of survival and that is not something you forget. I can still remember the face of the nurse, the time, the place everything.

 

But I just kept saying " there's a heartbeat, surely there's a chance", and I was met with pitied looks and genuine apologies. I felt foolish for pursuing it but all I can say is that an instinct to just do whatever was needed to not give up kicked in. It's a unique feeling and very strong.

 

 

My daughter turns 4 next week.

 

Sometimes, even the million to one shots come off.

 

It's a shite situation, but I fully understand their defiance in pushing this as far as they could.

 

wow. just wow.

 

first time wways has actually brought a tear to my eye.

 

well done to you and yours, spider!

I think that their wanting to bring him home to die is a selfish act.

 

No doubt preferable, but they'd have to drag much-needed personnel away from other patients.