Tragic Archie Battersbee dies after life support of boy, 12, switched off as his mum sobs ‘he fought until the very end’
ARCHIE Battersbee died today two hours after his life support was switched off as his mum sobbed: “He fought to the very end”.
The tragic 12-year-old spent almost five months in intensive care after suffering brain damage in a social media dare.
Archie was unresponsive ever since the “freak accident” – with doctors declaring him “brain-stem dead”.
His mum Hollie Dance and dad Paul Battersbee launched a mammoth legal battle to keep their son alive as they vowed to fight to the end.
But they lost their fight at every hurdle, with judges ruling that keeping his life support switched on was not in the youngster’s “best interests”.
Hollie tragically confirmed her “beautiful little boy” Archie had passed away at 12.15pm today as she called herself “the proudest mum in the world”.
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Sobbing, she said: “Archie fought right until the very end and I am so proud to be his mum”.
Ella Rose Carter, the fiance of Archie’s eldest brother Tom, added: “He was taken off medication at 10am, his stats remained stable until two hours later when they removed the ventilation.
“There is absolutely nothing dignified about watching a family member or a child suffocate.
“We hope no family has to go through what we have been through. It’s barbaric.”
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Devastated Hollie vowed to fight until Archie’s heart stopped beating as she tirelessly fought for her son.
She was dealt a final crushing blow yesterday when she lost a last-ditch legal bid to have her boy taken away from the Royal London Hospital to a hospice to die.
She hoped he would be able to “spend his last moments” in private – without nurses and doctors.
But judge Mrs Justice Theis said Archie should remain at hospital when treatment is withdrawn.
She echoed the concerns of the health trust responsible for Archie’s care, who found the boy’s condition is too unstable for him to be transferred elsewhere.
Doctors feared an ambulance journey “would most likely hasten the premature deterioration the family wish to avoid”.
Defiant Hollie then sought help from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), but they said they would not intervene by applying the “interim measures” permitted in “exceptional” cases.
She told how Archie’s machines in hospital were “constantly beeping” up until a month ago.
She believed they had “calmed”, which she said showed “progress”.
The mum told the Daily Mail: ““They are still the backdrop to my world though.
“Whatever happens I think I will hear those machines for the rest of my life.”
It was previously revealed Hollie may give her son mouth-to-mouth if doctors withdraw oxygen when his machines are switched off.
It has not been confirmed whether the grieving mum carried out CPR in her son’s final minutes.
Agonised mum Hollie said yesterday: “I know I did everything I could. Everything. I know I’ve done a very good job being Archie’s mum.
“Based on my own childhood I was determined to be as good as a mother as I can possibly be and I feel like I have done that to the very best of my ability. It’s one of the reasons I am here.”
She also revealed her frustrations with the legal case, which has seen her embroiled in several last-ditch attempts to save her son.
Hollie said: “All I have ever asked is to get him to six months – where is the harm in that for them?
“They have spent a fortune on legal fees fighting me in court – money they could have spent on Archie’s care and others’.
“At its heart this has been a case about a mother’s love, but also their rights. At what point did Archie’s dad and I lose our parental rights in terms of deciding what we want for our child?”
TRAGIC END
Archie was found with a ligature over his head at home in Southend, Essex, on April 7 this year.
The youngster suffered brain damage in the “freak accident” and was unresponsive ever since.
He was kept alive by a combination of medical interventions, including ventilation and drug treatments.
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, who have been supporting the family’s case, said: “Our thoughts, prayers and support are with Archie’s family at this tragic moment.
“We will continue to support the family, as we have done throughout, ever since they came to us after being issued with last-minute legal proceedings to remove life support from Archie.
“We are thankful for the widespread public support for Archie and his family. It has been a privilege to stand alongside them.
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“The events of the last few weeks raise many significant issues including questions of how death is defined, how those decisions are made and the place of the family.
“No-one wants to see other families experience what they have been through. We need to see urgent review and reform of the system.”
