Please give my son time to heal
Mum begs judge not to turn off life support for boy left brain dead by online craze
A MUM whose 12-year-old son was left clinging to life after taking part in a viral online game has issued a last-ditch plea to save his life.
Archie Battersbee was found with a ligature around his neck in April. The schoolboy’s family fear he had been doing the “blackout challenge”.
The talented gymnast has spent eight weeks in an induced coma, with doctors saying it is “highly likely” Archie is brain dead.
But while they argue that life support treatment should end, his mum, Hollie Dance, 46, and father, Paul Battersbee, 56, refuse to give up hope.
Now they are locked in a fierce High Court battle with a judge set to decide Archie’s fate on Monday.
Hollie last night addressed the judge, saying: “Please, please find it in your heart to give my son the time to heal. I refuse to give up. This is my little boy.”
Archie was placed in a coma after his mum found him unconscious at their home in Southendon-Sea, Essex, on April 7.
Lawyers representing the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel have asked Mrs Justice Arbuthnot to decide what moves are in his best interests.
They say the youngster is “brain-stem dead” and his life support should end.
But the High Court heard this week that Archie’s family are “praying for a miracle” as his heart is still beating.
Hollie told the Mirror: “It’s devastating. Total strangers are making a decision about whether my son lives or dies.
“It’s so hard as a mother. For 12 years I’ve raised him but now we’ve gone into a hospital, you lose your right. It’s awful.”
She added: “I’m devastated. The hospital has had Covid patients in a coma on ventilators for three months – it’s longer than Archie has been in hospital.
“This is my child. I’ve had to become a nurse overnight so I can understand what’s happening to Archie. “Archie should be treated as a living patient until it can be proven he’s not.” Hollie, who is also mum to Tom 22, and Lauren, 20, was about to go to the cinema when she discovered Archie hanging and set him free.
She tried to resuscitate him before ambulance crews arrived.
After he was transferred to the Royal London, medics told Hollie that “Archie would not make it through the night”. But he has staged an astonishing eight-week fight for survival.
This week Archie’s story reduced This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby to tears when Hollie appeared on the show. And sports stars from around the world have sent messages of support in a bid to help shake him from his coma.
Six-time Olympic medallist Max Whitlock, 29, urged the youngster to keep fighting and invited him to “come and see me in the gym” when he recovers.
Hollie said: “His friends all sent voice messages so we could play them for him.
“His two best friends have been to the hospital and held Archie’s hand, talking to him.
“We’ve also had messages from boxers like David Haye and Ricky Hatton. The support has been amazing.”
But Hollie hasn’t found the strength to return home since the tragic accident.
She said: “I’ve been with Archie for eight weeks. I can’t bear to go back.”
Speaking about her son, she added: “Archie is a very, very talented gymnast, he’s a very talented MMA fighter. He’s very high-spirited and he’s very sensitive. He’s very caring, he loves his rabbit and animals. He’s just really happy.”
A Barts Health NHS Trust spokesman said: “This is an incredibly sad case and our thoughts and sympathies are with Archie’s family at this time. We await the court’s decision.”