Charlie Gard’s parents reveal they’re expecting a baby three years after they lost 11-month-old son
CHARLIE Gard’s parents have revealed they’re expecting a healthy baby three years after they tragically lost their 11-month-old son.
At 17 weeks pregnant Connie Yates, 34, says she feels "incredibly lucky" and the news has given her and partner Chris, 35, hope again.
Describing the moment she realised she was pregnant, the home care worker told "I don’t think I’ve ever cried with happiness like that before.
"I mean, I’ve cried with sadness, and I’ve cried with happiness when Charlie was born and stuff, but this was something else."
Connie added: "I feel incredibly lucky to be pregnant and have a bit of hope again, and something to put a smile on our faces."
I don’t think I’ve ever cried with happiness like that before. I mean, I’ve cried with sadness, and I’ve cried with happiness when Charlie was born and stuff, but this was something else.
Connie Yates
The couple's news is bittersweet and comes three years after their son Charlie died after a long fight against a rare and devastating genetic illness.
Little Charlie's plight touched the world as his parents fought for permission to take him to the US for medical treatment.
The couple faced a painful and public legal battle after doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital said Charlie should be allowed to die with dignity and applied for permission to have his ventilator switched off.
His parents fought determinedly against this decision - raising more than £1.3million to pay for pioneering treatment in the US.
But eventually they accepted "time has run out", admitting that they didn't expect him to live to see his first birthday.
Connie spoke candidly about the impending arrival of her new baby, describing she had "mixed emotions".
BITTERSWEET
The mum-to-be broke the news to her fiance by putting a positive pregnancy test in the bottom of a bag on a visit to Charlie’s resting place.
But the couple are adamant they don't want their baby growing up in Charlie's shadow.
The tot tragically had a disease called mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome, as both of his parents were unknowingly carrying the gene.
The extremely rare genetic condition causes progressive brain damage and muscle weakness.
Connie and Chris had to anxiously await DNA tests on their new unborn child to look for the mutant gene. But thankfully, the tests came back negative.
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The couple - who are expecting their new addition to their family in August - do not yet know if they are having a boy or a girl.
Connie said: "We always think about Charlie and we hope that he’s happy with us having another baby, but we’ll never forget him and love him just as much – always have and always will."
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