Mum vows to fight on after judge rules girl, 5 should be left to die
THE devastated mother of a brain damaged five-year- old has vowed to continue battling to keep her daughter alive after a High Court judge ruled yesterday that she ‘ should be allowed to die’.
Pippa Knight has been in a ‘persistent vegetative state’ for more than a year at a London hospital where doctors argued withdrawing life-support treatment was in the child’s best interest.
Mr Justice Poole, who had previously visited Pippa’s bedside in intensive care, said the case was ‘heart rending’ as he ruled mechanical ventilation should be stopped.
But her mother Paula Parfitt, 41, who had pleaded for a two week home-care trial to see if Pippa’s condition could improve, is preparing to launch an appeal.
‘I am devastated. I want Pippa to have every possible chance to come home,’ the single mother from Kent said.
The judge said Pippa should continue to receive treatment for a short time to give Miss Parfitt a window to mount her bid to the Court of Appeal.
Her plight echoes the traumatic case of baby Charlie Gard who died shortly before his first birthday after his parents fought a similar battle in 2017.
Pippa, who was born in 2015, initially developed normally and was an ‘ affectionate’ and ‘cuddly’ baby before suddenly falling ill at 18 months.
She was diagnosed with acute necrotising encephalopathy (ANE), a rare condition which leads to seizures following a disease such as influenza, and remained in hospitals for five months. When discharged, Pippa was severely disabled and had developed four-limb motor disorder. She was fed by a nasal tube.
The youngster deteriorated in January 2019 and has remained in intensive care at Evelina Children’s Hospital ever since.
Her devoted mother, who is living in hospital accommoda tion, has been by her bedside for up to 16 hours a day ever since.
The court heard Pippa receives video calls and long visits from her seven-year-old brother, her grandparents and uncle who Miss Parfitt described as her ‘powerful unit of strength’.
The judge said: ‘The fact that Miss Parfitt has not been wholly ground down by her experiences is a tribute to her resilience and dedication.’ However, he ruled in favour of hospital bosses who said ending treatment, and allowing Pippa to die, would be lawful and in her best interests as there was no hope for improvement.
Miss Parfitt had pleaded with the judge to authorise a two-week home-care trial which would see Pippa placed on a portable ventilator at the family home in Strood. She said: I am devastated by the judgment... that it is not in Pippa’s best interests to have a trial of portable ventilation to find out whether she could come home.’
But Mr Justice Poole said: ‘My conclusion is that continued mechanical ventilation is contrary to Pippa’s best interests’.
He stated that Pippa was expected to survive for only a short time after life support was withdrawn and it was up to her mother to decide whether she died at home or in hospital.
The judge had considered three options in the case brought by Guys and St Thomas Children’s NHS Trust.
These were continuing life support in hospital, trial of portable ventilation and potentially moving treatment to Pippa’s home and finally, withdrawing Pippa’s life support.
‘Considering the evidence, I am satisfied that it is not in Pippa’s best interests to continue to receive long-term ventilation or other life sustaining treatment,’ he concluded.
During the hearing, Miss Parfitt said she wanted life-support to continue in hospital but if the home- care trial was unlikely after six months she would ‘consider consenting to withdrawal of ventilation’.
‘I want Pippa to come home’