Charlie Gard’s parents release new hospital bed picture as they launch fresh battle to stop medics turning off tot’s life support
CHARLIE Gard's parents have released a new hospital bed picture as they launch a fresh battle to save their baby.
Connie Yates and Chris Gard said they will "fight to the bitter end" after a High Court ruled their nine-month-old son should be allowed to die "with dignity" last month.
Doctors advised the critically ill youngster should have his life support removed - but his desperate parents want to take him to the US for "potentially life-saving" treatment.
They will today enter their application to overturn the ruling at London's appeal court.
Connie, of Bedfont, south-west London, told the "We were devastated by the result of the last hearing.
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"But somehow Chris and I have pulled together and picked ourselves up as a family. We had to for Charlie's sake."
The desperate 31-year-old said the couple can't "just give up on" Charlie, who "is growing more beautiful by the day".
Connie and Chris have hired new lawyers, from Harris Da Silva Solicitors, for the second chance at saving their son's life.
The firm did not comment ahead of today's application.
They are thought to be looking at using human rights laws to try and battle the parents' case, according to the Mail.
Last month the parents vowed to "fight to the bitter end" as the High Court ruled Charlie should "die with dignity".
The couple have raised more than £1.2million to take the youngster to the US for pioneering treatment that could extend his life.
But judges at the High Court went against their wishes - instead ruling his life support machine can be turned off.
The couple said they were “devastated” by the decision and were struggling to understand why the judge didn’t give him the “chance of treatment”.
Great Ormond Street Hospital bosses say doctors will continue to provide life-support treatment until appeal decisions have been made.
Doctors in the US had offered to try a procedure called nucleoside bypass therapy, which hasn't yet reached the experimental stage with mice for Charlie's disease but has been used on patients with a similar condition.
The judge said experts agreed it could not reverse Charlie's brain damage, and that experimentation might benefit medical science but could not benefit the youngster.
He added: "It is with the heaviest of hearts, but with complete conviction for Charlie’s best interests, that I find it is in Charlie’s best interests that I accede to these applications and rule that GOSH may lawfully withdraw all treatment save for palliative care to permit Charlie to die with dignity."
Chris, who had tucked his dying son's toy monkey into the top pocket of his grey suit, cried "no" and covered his face with his hands as he heard the judge's decision.
Mr Justice Francis continued: "Most importantly of all, I want to thank Charlie's parents for their brave and dignified campaign on his behalf, but more than anything to pay tribute to their absolute dedication to their wonderful boy, from the day that he was born."
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