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MUM'S HOPE

I held my boy’s hand & told him he has more time after we were given a second chance, says Archie Battersbee’s mum

ARCHIE Battersbee’s mum revealed she held her boy's hand and told him he "had more time" after they were allowed to challenge a court ruling.

Hollie Dance’s son Archie, 12, has been at the centre of a High Court dispute after suffering brain damage earlier this year.

Archie Battersbee was left brain-damaged in a freak accident
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Archie Battersbee was left brain-damaged in a freak accident
Mum Hollie Dance is fighting to keep his life support switched on and has been allowed to challenge a previous court ruling
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Mum Hollie Dance is fighting to keep his life support switched on and has been allowed to challenge a previous court ruling
Hollie Dance discovered her son unconscious
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Hollie Dance discovered her son unconsciousCredit: PA

The mum, 46, found the youngster unconscious at the family home in Southend, Essex, on April 7 this year.

He has not woken since, and doctors say he should be removed from life support after suffering "brain stem death".

A High Court judge last week ruled Archie is legally dead and stands no chance of making a full recovery.

Mrs Justice Arbuthnot said doctors could begin to withdraw life support.

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But his parents Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee have now been given the go-ahead to take their fight to the Court of Appeal.

Hollie, a former fitness instructor, told : “I’m so relieved that someone is giving him a chance.

"That’s all we ever wanted, more time to heal. I’m so emotional.

“I watched it from Archie’s bedside – I made sure he couldn’t hear or see it but I was with him through it.

“When it finished I held his hand and told him he had been given more time.

“I can’t stress this enough, if a parent doesn’t want to hold on to hope or they believe it’s not in their child’s best interest, that’s absolutely fine.

“But I won’t give up hope and it should be a parent’s decision.”

It comes after mum Hollie claimed Archie has squeezed her hand from his bed at the Royal London Hospital.

She begged medics to give the schoolboy a chance to recover and says she knows with her "mother's instinct" that he is still alive.

Hollie added: "His heart is still beating, he has gripped my hand, and as his mother and by my mother's instinct, I know my son is still there."

Yesterday Mrs Justice Arbuthnot said there was a “compelling reason” why appeal judges should consider the case.

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In a statement outside court last week, the hospital's Group Chief Medical Officer Alistair Chesser said Archie will be given the "best possible care" while life support is withdrawn.

He added: "We are also ensuring that there is time for the family to decide whether they wish to appeal before any changes to care are made."

Hollie discovered her stricken son in his bedroom
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Hollie discovered her stricken son in his bedroomCredit: PA
Archie, pictured with his hand around his mum's finger, has been in a coma for more than 10 weeks
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Archie, pictured with his hand around his mum's finger, has been in a coma for more than 10 weeks
Hollie says Archie has squeezed her hand and his heart is still beating
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Hollie says Archie has squeezed her hand and his heart is still beatingCredit: PA

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