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'He Fought Right Until the Very End': 12-Year-Old Archie Battersbee Passes Away After Life Support is Turned Off

08-06-2022
(Screenshot credit: Christian Concern/YouTube)
(Screenshot credit: Christian Concern/YouTube)

Archie Battersbee died Saturday after he was taken off of life support by doctors at the Royal London Hospital.

The 12-year-old had been unresponsive and in a coma since April 7. 

His parents, Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee fought a legal battle for months to extend the life-sustaining treatment for their son but the U.K. Supreme Court in London rejected an appeal last week.

"In sadness, Archie passed at 12:15 pm," Dance said. "I would just like to say I am the proudest mum in the world. He was such a beautiful little boy. 

"He fought right until the very end, and I am so proud to be his mum."

CBN News previously reported that Archie was found unconscious on April 7 with a cord around his neck in what was believed to be an online blackout challenge.  

Archie's parents said the video of him gripping his mother's fingers was proof that he was still alive and that his brain was functioning. Doctors felt that the boy's situation was hopeless and that he would not recover because his brain stem was dead. 

The family even asked to move Archie to hospice, however, physicians said it was not in the boy's best interest because his condition was so unstable, and moving him would advance his chances of death.

Andrea Williams, the chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, which supported the family's case, offered her condolences to the family.

"Our thoughts, prayers, and support are with Archie's family at this tragic moment. It has been a privilege to stand alongside them. 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," said Williams. 

She added, "No one wants to see other families experience what they have been through. We need to see urgent review and reform of the system."

'No Parent or Family Must Go Through This Again': Archie's Family Calls for Investigation After Fighting for Son's Life

On Sunday, Archie's family released the following statement, calling for an inquiry and for change after Archie's death. 

"Yesterday we lost our beautiful boy, Archie. He has fought against all the odds since April, and we are so proud of him," the statement released by Christian Concern said. "We are thankful for the huge amount of support we’ve received from so many different people. We are grateful to our legal team and others who have stood with us as we have faced these difficult challenges." 

"We want something good to come out of this tragedy and the horrendous experience we have been put through by the system. No parent or family must go through this again. We have been forced to fight a relentless legal battle by the Hospital Trust while faced with an unimaginable tragedy," the statement continued. 

"We were backed into a corner by the system, stripped of all our rights, and have had to fight for Archie’s real ‘best interests' and right to live with everything stacked against us. This has now happened too often to parents who do not want their critically ill children to have life-support removed," the family's statement said. 

The pressure of the process has been unbelievable. There must be an investigation and inquiry through the proper channels on what has happened to Archie, and we will be calling for change," the statement concluded. 

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