Take a chance for little Charlie
TODAY the anguished parents of little Charlie Gard will be a step closer to knowing if there is hope for their son.
And whether the High Court will let them take him abroad to be treated by the one of the seven experts who now claim an experimental drug therapy could work. Maybe it can. Maybe it can’t. That’s the whole point of experimentation – no one knows how it’ll play out. But it’s a chance. A tiny sliver of white hope in what has otherwise been a tunnel of despair for parents Connie Yates and Chris Gard. And it’s why I’ve changed my mind and now believe this couple should be given the chance to get treatment for him. Last month, I wrote that Charlie’s mum and dad had to accept nothing more could be done for their son. At that point, one doctor in the US had offered an untested therapy and later admitted he made the offer unaware how sick the boy was. It seemed there was absolutely no credible treatment available for Charlie. And no means of reversing the brain damage he has already suffered. But worldwide coverage has thrown up more possibilities. And while there remain no guarantees of workable treatments, there is hope. I still believe the medics at Great Ormond Street Hospital were trying to put the needs of little Charlie first, and were attempting to shield him from potentially painful and unknown treatments.
And I believe as a society we must put trust in medical and legal experts who really are better placed to look at cases such as this more objectively than any parent can do. As a mother, the desire to keep your seriously ill child alive and close to you must be overwhelming. And there’s the sense of responsibility that you have to protect them at all costs.
But it’s exactly those things which make it virtually impossible for emotion not to cloud all reason in a parent.
And why we need medics and lawyers with wisdom and judgment to make the decisions for such a sick child.
My opinion on this tragic case has changed for one reason only – that a ray of hope has emerged and it would seem negligent not to follow it.
We must hope that all those who have offered optimism to the family are genuine in their motives and their offers.
False hope would be far crueller than no hope at all.
Drug therapy may offer a tiny sliver of hope