He fought to the end
Tragic Archie’s mum sobs as she announces 12yr-old’s death
ARCHIE Battersbee passed away in hospital yesterday after having his life-support treatment withdrawn.
The 12-year-old died at 12.15pm – just over two hours after doctors stopped his care.
He had not regained consciousness after being found with a ligature around his neck on April 7.
On Friday, after five months of emotionally-charged legal battles over Archie’s care, the boy’s family lost a last-ditch appeal to have him moved to a hospice.
Archie’s heartbroken mum Hollie Dance, 46, yesterday announced his death at Royal London Hospital, in Whitechapel.
Wiping away tears as she addressed reporters, she said: “I would just like to say I am the proudest mum in the world.
“He was such a beautiful boy. He fought right until the very end.”
BARBARIC
Hollie’s sister-in-law Ella Carter also told of Archie’s last moments.
She said: “His stats remained completely stable for two hours until they removed ventilation and he went completely blue.
“There is absolutely nothing dignified about watching a family member or a child suffocate.
“No family should ever have to go through what we have been through. It is barbaric.”
Before Archie’s death was announced, family and friends lit candles and laid cards in a makeshift shrine outside the hospital. Among them was Julie Poulton, 46 – a childhood friend of Archie’s mum.
Paying tribute to the keen rapper and gymnast, she said: “He was so full of energy and fiercely independent. He was heading for the Olympics.”
After Archie was found unconscious, he was taken to hospital in his home town of Southend, Essex, then moved to Royal London Hospital, where he was declared “brain stem dead”.
A legal battle involving the High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court then ensued as the family pushed for more time for Archie to recover. They lost the fight on Wednesday when the European Court of Human Rights refused to intervene.
Andrea Williams, chief of the Christian Legal Centre, which has been supporting the family’s case, said: “The events of the last few weeks raise many issues including questions of how death is defined, how those decisions are made and the place of the family.”
Alistair Chesser, chief medical officer at Barts Health NHS Trust – which oversaw Archie’s care – said in a statement: “Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences remain with the family at this difficult time.”
I’d just like to say that I am the proudest mum in the world MUM HOLLIE DANCE IN ADDRESS TO REPORTERS