Now a new family begs court: Don’t let our son die
THE family of a brain-damaged baby boy are locked in a legal battle with doctors who want to withdraw life support.
Seven-month- old Isaiah Thomas was left fighting for his life following complications during his mother’s labour in February, and now has to be fed through a tube and kept on a ventilator to survive.
During a hearing at the High Court yesterday, doctors from King’s College Hospital said they had been unable to find treatments which will benefit the little boy. Specialists at the London hospital claimed that any further intensive care treatment would be ‘futile, unduly burdensome and not in his best interests’.
Speaking after the hearing in London, Isaiah’s mother, Takesha Thomas, vowed to continue the battle to keep her son alive.
The stylist, 36, said: ‘We believe Isaiah deserves his chance to fight for his life and there is still more that can be done for him. We do not think it is in our son’s best interests to stop treatment which is keeping him alive.’
The court battle echoes the plight of Charlie Gard, who died in July just days before his first birthday. The death of the little boy – who garnered wide support from the public as well as backing from Donald Trump and the Pope – came after a judge ruled that his parents, Connie Yates and Chris Gard, could not take him to the US for treatment they believed would be lifesaving. Following a lengthy legal wrangle between the family and Great Ormond Street Hospital, where Charlie was cared for, it was ruled life-support should end and he was allowed to die.
Although Isaiah’s organs are able to grow naturally, he cannot breathe unaided for a prolonged period because messages are not correctly processed by his brain, so he relies on a ventilator.
In the High Court, Mr Justice MacDonald was told that Isaiah was born by emergency caesarean at King’s on February 18 with a severe brain injury. It was thought to have been caused by oxygen deprivation after a delay in spotting that his heart rate had dropped significantly for approximately 27 minutes.
A King’s College Hospital spokesman said: ‘Following a rare and life-threatening obstetric emergency during his moth- er’s labour, Isaiah suffered an irreversible and profound brain injury. Since his birth, there have been no indications that his condition has improved.
‘Based on his prognosis, we believe that palliative care would be in Isaiah’s best interests. We have sought a number of external expert opinions who agree with our clinical findings. Everyone at the Trust understands how incredibly distressing this continues to be for his parents.’
Solicitor Anne-Marie Irwin, representing Isaiah’s family, said outside court: ‘This is a very sad and sensitive situation involving a very ill young boy. The family wishes to ensure his treatment continues and believes that there is still more that can be done to help him.’
A further preliminary hearing has been listed for next Friday.