Who are Connie Yates and Chris Gard? Charlie Gard’s parents who have announced they are getting married
CHARLIE Gard's parents have announced their engagement in a social media post, 11 months after the toddler died.
Chris Gard revealed he proposed to Connie Yates following a promise he made to his baby son hours before he died on Friday July 28, 2017.
Who are Connie Yates and Chris Gard?
The couple are from Bedfont in West London.
Their first baby Charlie was born on August 4, 2016, on what they described as the "best day of our lives".
His health rapidly declined and he was diagnosed with a disease called mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome, which causes muscle weakness and brain damage.
Both parents were unaware they were carriers of the gene until he was three-months-old.
The lives of carer Connie, 31, and postman Chris, 32, were turned upside down as his condition steadily got worse.
They were unable to work for months while keeping vigil at their son's bedside at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
A law firm Bindmans LLP took their case on for free.
Despite the highest courts in the UK and Europe all backing the decision by doctors to turn off his life support machine, his parents did not give up hope.
They continued to battle through the courts but withdrew their application for him to travel to the US for specialist treatment after experts said the damage to his muscles is irreparable.
The couple returned to court in a bid to take their son home to die but their wish was denied with a judge approving a plan which will see the tot “inevitably” die shortly after being moved to a hospice.
On Friday, July 28, it was announced Charlie had died a week before his first birthday.
What have they announced?
The couple announced their engagement on social media on June 1, 2018 - 11 months after Charlie passed away.
Chris wrote: "Just a couple of hours before Charlie passed away, I laid on his bed, held his hand and had a little father/son chat with him.
"I told him many things. I told him how much he was loved, how much he would be missed and how proud we all were of him, amongst lots of other things.
"I also made a number of promises to him. Ones that I will never break.
"And one of those promises I made was that no matter what happens, I would always care for and look after his gorgeous mummy for him.
"So I asked Connie if she would do me the honour of becoming my wife and sharing mine and our beautiful sons surname. And she said YES!!!
"When the day comes that we get married, the most important person to us will not be there, but don't worry, he'll be up there watching, hopefully with a big smile on his face.
"We love you Charlie and your legacy will carry on."
Why did they withdraw their appeal to send Charlie to the US for treatment?
Charlie's parents had been told by the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the British Supreme Court that Charlie's life support must be switched off and the European Court of Human Rights ruled it would not intervene in the case.
But, they returned to the High Court with new evidence to try to convince a judge their son should be allowed to travel to America.
On July 24, as a two-day hearing was expected to begin, the barrister representing Connie Yates and Chris Gard announced their application was being withdrawn.
The court was told "for Charlie it's too late" as it was revealed the experimental treatment could no longer offer a chance of success.
A team of specialists including the US doctor offering to treat Charlie Gard had met with Great Ormond Street medics on July 18 to discuss the baby's care.
Why did the couple return to court?
Charlie's parents were desperate to say their goodbyes to him at home and said their greatest wish was to bathe their baby boy and put him to bed in his cot.
Following a deeply emotional day in the courtroom on July 26, a judge gave Charlie's parents until 12.00pm on July 27 to reach an agreement with GOSH on his end-of-life care.
No agreement was reached and eventually, the judge Mr Justice Francis approved a plan which would see the tot moved to a hospice where he would later pass away.
In a statement, Connie Yates explained the judge had denied her and dad Chris Gard's wish to take Charlie away from a hospital environment to die.
She said this was despite her and Chris working "tirelessly" with their legal team to arrange two doctors and a team of nurses to care for Charlie 24/7 in a fully-equipped flat.
She said: "We just want some peace with our son. No hospital, no lawyers, no courts, no media. Just quality time with Charlie away from everything to say goodbye to him in the most loving way.
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What have Charlie's parents said about the campaign?
Both Connie and Chris had insisted that they believed they were doing what any parent would in the same situation, adding that they would not give up on their son while there was the potential for treatment (nucleoside bypass therapy) in the US.
Speaking after they dropped off a petition to Great Ormond Street begging for them to let Charlie travel, his parents said: “He’s our flesh and blood, we feel it’s our right as parents to decide if we should give him a chance at life
“If he’s still fighting, we’re still fighting.”
But in an emotional tribute to their son after they withdrew their legal case, Chris and Connie said: “We’re so sorry that we couldn’t save you”.
Speaking outside the High Court on July 24, Chris said: "Mummy and daddy love you so much Charlie, we always have and we always will and we are so sorry that we couldn’t save you.
“Sweet dreams, baby. Sleep tight our beautiful little boy.
“Our son is an absolute warrior and we could not be prouder of him and we will miss him terribly.
"Charlie has had a greater impact on and touched more people in his 11 months than many people do in a lifetime.
"We are struggling to find any comfort or peace with all this but one thing that does give us the slightest bit of comfort, is that we truly believe that Charlie may have been too special for this cruel world."
How much have they raised to help their son?
In January this year, Connie found an American doctor who could offer pioneering treatment for her son.
This nucleoside bypass therapy, which is an oral medication, offered the possibility to repair Charlie’s mitochondrial DNA and help it synthesise again by giving him the naturally occurring compounds his body isn’t able to produce.
One US expert said 18 people have been treated with nucleoside bypass therapy, but none were in a condition as severe as Charlie’s.
To pay for the treatment in the USA, Connie and Chris set up a crowdfunding
After three months of fundraising, it surpassed its £1.3m target.
Thanking those who donated - who have been dubbed "Charlie's Army" - his mum said: “Charlie will die knowing that he was loved by thousands."
In August, Chris and Connie announced they would use the £1.3million they have raised to start a foundation in their son's name to help other children suffering from rare illnesses.