The parents of Charlie Gard, a terminally ill 11-month-old baby in the UK with a rare genetic condition, have announced they will end their legal fight to take him to the US for treatment. Charlie will now be allowed to die peacefully in less than two weeks.
The incredibly sad and tragic case has garnered headlines for all the wrong reasons. Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London, where Charlie has been in care, has been inundated with disgusting and vile abuse.
GOSH is one of the world’s leading children’s hospitals. It treats more than 250,000 patients every year and has the widest range of health services for children in the UK. There are 51 different specialties at the hospital, which treat some of the UK’s sickest children.
When it was founded in 1852, there was no other hospital in the UK dedicated to treating children. Now, GOSH is the envy of the world. And the backlash it has received during the Charlie Gard case, during which the hospital provided the same high level of support they afford all their patients, has been terrible.
Charlie’s case is extremely unique. The toddler has a rare genetic condition called encephalomyopathic mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome (MDDS). Specifically, the variant Charlie has is called RRM2B deficiency, which affects the brain and muscles. It means his cells can’t make enough energy to power his muscles or brain due to faulty DNA inherited from his parents, Connie Yates and Chris Gard.
MDDS is fatal, with no known cure. Although Charlie was healthy when born on August 4, 2016, he developed severe brain damage and now cannot properly open his eyes or move his limbs.
“We have always paid tribute to the extraordinary courage and strength of Connie Yates and Chris Gard and their devotion to their son,” a spokesperson for GOSH said. “Today our hearts go out to them as they face the most difficult decision that any parent should ever have to make.”
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