MUM’S AGONY OVER HER
Couple fight on in bid to send tot to US docs
THE life-or-death battle over baby Charlie Gard has captured hearts and sparked debate from the White House to the Vatican.
But for one mother, the case is an inescapable reminder of her own decision to allow her child – who is also battling a mitochondrial disease – to die.
Two years ago, Chloe Harris made the agonising decision to sign a “do not resuscitate” notice for her daughter Bailey-Rose Bickerton, who has cytochrome oxidase deficiency.
Like Charlie, whose future is being decided by the High Court, five-year-old Bailey-Rose’s disease has left her brain damaged, unable to walk or talk and her life is punctuated by violent seizures.
She was not expected to live past three and experts say she will never get better.
And while Chloe, 22, has come to accept the reality of her daughter’s prognosis, she says Charlie’s high-profile case means some friends wrongly think Bailey-Rose can be cured.
The mum has been inundated with suggestions that her daughter could benefit from new treatment in the US that parents Connie Yates and Chris Gard want Charlie to have.
The misguided comments are painful for Chloe, but the mum of three refuses to justify her decision to allow Bailey-Rose to slip away when the time comes.
AWARENESS
CHARLIE Gard’s parents are fighting for their stricken son to be allowed experimental treatment in America.
The tot was born healthy on August 4, 2016 but within weeks was diagnosed with rare infantile onset encephalomyopathy mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome (MDDS).
In October experts at Great Ormond Street Hospital diagnosed his condition as terminal and said he should be allowed to die with dignity.
But his parents Chris Gard, 32, and Connie Yates, 31, from Bedfont in West London, want him to have experimental treatment in America and a Crowdfunding page has raised £1.3million. Doctors ruled the treatment would not improve Charlie’s quality of life and the High Court ruled lifesupport should be withdrawn. The parents’ appeals were rejected and the European Court of Human Rights also declined to intervene. Amid new claims about the treatment, the hospital referred the case back to the High Court. The hearing will resume after American professor Michio Hirano visits Charlie on Monday.