Now, Charlie, they both need you to watch over them from heaven

CHARLIE Gard’s uncle has paid a touching tribute and asked him to watch over his heartbroken parents from heaven.

The tot – who suffered from a rare genetic condition and had brain damage – lost his fight for life on Friday, a week before his first birthday.

His life support was switched off after parents Chris, 33, and Connie, 31, ended their long legal fight to send him for experimental treatment in the US. In a poem on Facebook, his uncle Andy Gard said: “I know inside you’ll always know how much they fought for you.

“But now they both need you from heaven to watch over them now too. For I’ll never know in my own lifetime how life could be so cruel.”

Andy posted images of himself with Charlie, adding: “All I know for certain is that I’m the world’s proudest uncle. While we stay in this ugly world your spirit now has freedom.

“Rest assured our beloved Charlie, in this fight we will not be beaten. We always hold out the belief that there’s no such thing as goodbye.

“So I’ll leave this poem here just for now, but just to clarify.

“All my love, my hope the fight I need will be inspired by your eyes. I love you Charlie. Thank you for being you.”

At just six weeks Charlie began losing strength and was diagnosed with mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome.

As his condition deteriorated he could not breathe without a ventilator and was in intensive care at Great Ormond Street Hospital, Central London.

Doctors there insisted he was suffering and in April won a High Court ruling his life support should be turned off. But Chris and Connie, of Bedfont, West London, raised £1million from 80,000 donors in a bid to give their son a chance at life. Supporters held vigils outside Downing Street and Buckingham Palace and a petition gained more than 350,000 signatures.

The Pope offered the help of the Vatican’s own children’s hospital.

And US President Donald Trump tweeted he would be “delighted” to assist.

Three weeks ago a US expert said there was a chance a new therapy may work – but an MRI scan dashed hopes and Charlie finally lost his battle on Friday.

His parents said they believed their son might have been saved if experimental therapy had been tried sooner.

But Great Ormond Street said the clinical picture six months ago had shown irreversible damage to his brain.

Tributes were still pouring in from round the world last night, including from Pope Francis, Prime Minister Theresa May and US vice president Mike Pence.