New York Hospital Extends Help to U.K. Baby Charlie Gard and Family
Probably one of the most heartbreaking news to come upon this week would have to be the case of the newborn Charlie Gard.
Gard's case is an interesting one. The 10-month old was born perfectly healthy but after a month, his parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates had noticed that Charlie's mobility was somewhat less than other infants of his age. Afterward, Charlie was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease called infantile onset encephalomyopathy mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome (MDDS) which has been known to cause brain damage and muscle weakness.
Charlie was then taken to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Great Ormond Street Hospital back in October when he became lethargic and unable to breathe. Last Friday, Charlie's life support was due to be turned off but he was given a few more days so that his parents could spend more time with him.
The Charlie Gard case first came to the public's notice when a conflict between his parents and the doctor prompted legal action. Charlie's parents wanted to take their baby to the United States for an experimental treatment. However, his doctors argued that the experimental treatment would have no effect on Charlie. Unfortunately, for Charlie's parents, the court had sided with the doctors upon learning that the baby can only breathe via ventilator and eat through a tube. The case was then taken to the European Court of Human Rights which upheld previous rulings to withdraw Charlie's life support.
The case had since made headlines all over the world and Charlie had caught the attention of several notable individuals who offered their help. This would include the likes of Pope Francis and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Now, a New York hospital has offered their help in treating Charlie. The New York Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Irving Medical Center agreed to admit Charlie Gard "provided that arrangements are made to safely transfer him to our facility, legal hurdles are cleared, and we receive emergency approval from the FDA for an experimental treatment as appropriate."
The hospital also gave the option of shipping the experimental drug over to Great Ormond Street Hospital with instructions on how to administer the treatment. Great Ormond Street Hospital has yet to respond.