Charlie Gard Update: Parents Storm Out of Courtroom; US Doctor to Arrive in London
The parents of Charlie Gard recently walked out of a High Court session a few hours after hearing the decision of the court on whether or not the terminally-ill baby should undergo a therapy trial in the United States. The 10-month old baby was born healthy but was later discovered to suffer from a rare genetic disease.
Chris Gard and Connie Yates are still waiting for the court to give its green light so they can seek medical treatment for their child in the U.S. A few days ago, the judge's verdict ran against what the couple wanted to hear, which prompted Chris and Connie to storm out of the court room to express their dismay. "I thought this was supposed to be independent," said Chris.
As the couple returned to court, they learned that there was evidence that their child could still survive the disease if he gets a treatment trial in the U.S. However, the pieces of evidence presented were not enough to sway the judge.
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"We are continuing to spend every moment working around the clock to save our dear baby Charlie. We love him more than life itself. If he's still fighting, then we're still fighting," said Charlie's parents in a statement.
While Chris and Connie want their child to seek therapy elsewhere, the High Court maintained that any treatment would not help Charlie's case. According to the couple's spokesman Alasdair Seton-Marsden, Chris and Connie hope to convince the judge to allow them to get alternative treatment with the help of medical practitioners who specialize in Charlie's case.
Although the couple believes that there was still hope for Charlie, the doctors at the Great Ormond Street Hospital who were present during the hearing said that any therapy conducted in the hopes of treating Charlie would only be experimental and would not cure him at all, urging the couple to let their child "die with dignity." The specialists at GOSH were the ones who looked after Charlie when he was brought there October last year after his parents noticed changes in his breathing and activity.
Meanwhile, reports say that an American doctor will be arriving to examine the baby. The specialist, Dr. Michio Hirano, will be meeting with other doctors in London this Monday and Tuesday to talk about the case. He believes that his experimental treatment could cause Charlie's condition to improve, a sentiment not shared by some of the other physicians.
News of Dr. Hirano's upcoming visit emerged when the judge recently ruled that he could now be named in media reports. The judge will also wait for the doctor's findings before he issues a new ruling on July 25.
