Another family in the UK is fighting to keep doctors from
forcing their sick baby off of life support. From The Mirror story:
Charlie Gard supporters are rallying round the family of a
seriously ill little boy as his parents face a battle with medics to keep him
alive.
Tiny Alfie Evans in being treated at Alder Hey Children’s
Hospital in Liverpool and suffers from a mystery condition staff are struggling
to diagnose.
The 14-month-old family are hoping to find pioneering
treatment for their little boy abroad.
Alfie has been in in
a coma in the hospital’s intensive care ward since last December, and suffers
regular seizures.
As in the Charlie Gard case, doctors have warned they may
have to take legal action as Tom will not let let them switch off Alfie’s life
support.
That’s a twist: Unlike in Charlie Gard’s case, there is no
firm diagnosis. Why would doctors try to force a baby off of life support when
they haven’t been able to determine the cause of his cognitive disability?
But realize, as in all “futile care” cases, the treatment is
unwanted by doctors because it is working. Hence, it isn’t the treatment but
Alfie’s life that would be declared futile if the courts pulled another
“Charlie Gard.”
Half a dozen US hospitals may be willing to offer
alternative care for the Alfie:
Tom and Alfie’s mum, Kate James, have not yet faced a court battle
like and are hopeful it will not come to that after more than a dozen American
hospitals said they might be able to help.
Tom said: “I’m pleading for help from anywhere now. I’ve
been getting in touch with lots of hospitals, and I’ve had a particularly
positive response from one in Miami, which has received Alfie’s details.”
Hopefully, the international brouhaha over Charlie will make
it more difficult in Alfie’s case for the authorities to impose another “futile
patient” die-sooner-than-later outcome.
P.S. Alfie’s parents have established an “Alfie’s Army”
Facebook Page for those who may be interested.
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/450011/another-charlie-gard-case
A Liverpool hospital wants to yank the life support of a 14-month-old baby, but his parents want to bring him to the United States for treatment.
ReplyDeleteTom Evans and Kate James are the parents of Alfie Evans, who has been in intensive care at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital since December. Alfie has a mysterious, undiagnosed disease. He's in a coma and has seizures...
A video of Alfie shared on the Facebook group "Alfie's Army" shows him opening his eyes and sucking on a pacifier. Another video shows him stretching.
"Doctors have warned they may have to take legal action as Tom will not let let them switch off Alfie’s life support," reported The Mirror.
Tom says more than a dozen U.S. hospitals have offered to help, including one in Miami.
More than 12,000 people have signed a change.org petition asking Alder Hey to keep Alfie on life support as his parents speak with specialists who "could help diagnose Alfie and give him the appropriate care."
"The first discussion that the Hospital had with Alfie's parents suggesting to turn the life support off, was on New Year's Eve 2016," the petition says. "Doctors said that Alfie may only have hours to live and therefore, his mother and father baptised him. Alfie's heart rate was slowing down and from head to toe, he was cold. Miraculously, Alfie pulled through this!"
Alfie's parents should be the ones who are "able to choose when it would be appropriate to withdraw life support, if it is necessary," the petition says.
"Alfie’s case is a very disturbing development, especially after what happened with Charlie Gard, and re-emphasizes the danger of an autocratic system where life-or-death decisions are made by the state and doctors in a nationally-run healthcare system, rather than by loving parents," Dr. David Prentice, vice president of research at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, told LifeSiteNews...
The hospital "told us to get lawyers" given the dispute over whether Alfie's life support should be pulled, they wrote on their fundraising page.
"Alfie’s case is in a sense more disturbing than Charlie’s, because there is no diagnosis ... yet for little Alfie," Prentice continued. "Yet some doctors have already discussed Alfie’s case as one of 'futile care' and proposed removing his life support, which would end his life. His support is futile in the doctors’ minds precisely because it is sustaining his life."...
"It is unimaginable that any doctor, supposedly dedicated to preserving life and health, would decide to end a life simply because they cannot diagnose and treat a patient," concluded Prentice.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/charlie-gard-2.0-liverpool-hospital-wants-to-pull-babys-life-support-agains
Alfie Evans is a 13 month old baby who is currently a patient in your Hospital, within the intensive care unit. Alfie was struck down with a mystery brain illness, that doctors within your hospital cannot diagnose and believe that it has progressed.
ReplyDeleteAlfie's dad, Tom, has said that during the first few months of life, Alfie seemed like a smiley and healthy baby. However, the parents of Alfie, noticed that he was still very weak after taking him to the doctors several times. They were then told by doctors that Alfie may just be a late developer. It was soon clear to see, that this may have not been the case when both parents noticed that Alfie was sloped back in his chair, making strange jerking movements.
Whilst in your care, Alfie's condition began to deteriorate and he was later diagnosed with Bronchitis, Pneumonia as well as other infections. After suffering with Seizures, Alfie had to be placed into a coma.
Tom, Alfie's dad, said that himself and his partner haven't seen their child awake since 18th December 2016. However, both his parents as well as their families, are noticing that Alfie is now beginning to open his eyes more, yawn occasionally and that he is growing teeth. Alfie is growing from a baby to a toddler right before our eyes.
Unfortunately, Doctors within your Clinical Establishment, have told the parents of Alfie several times, that they want to turn Alfie's life support machine off. His parents refuse to do this as they're seeing their son grow and getting stronger each day. The first discussion that the Hospital had with Alfie's parents suggesting to turn the life support off, was on New Year's Eve 2016. Doctors said that Alfie may only have hours to live and therefore, his mother and father baptised him. Alfie's heart rate was slowing down and from head to toe, he was cold. Miraculously, Alfie pulled through this! Alfie has had Neuro Doctors and an Epilepsy Panel say that he will never be able to cough, sneeze, breathe on his own or wake up but he has proved everyone wrong, who were involved in his care. He came out of the deepest coma that nobody expected him to do. That is a sign of a child who has got a lot of fight in him, not a child who is on deaths door.
Not only did Alfie pull through this, he has also fought off many infections and has even come off life support once as you would know, but in recent weeks has had to go back onto it.
We, the undersigned and both parents, believe that the only explanation for Alfie becoming more alert and pulling through many infections, that your Establishment didn't think was possible, is that he and his immune system is getting stronger. Therefore, thinking of withdrawing life support at this stage, would be unnecessary and premature.
https://www.change.org/p/alder-hey-hospital-alder-hey-hospital-to-keep-alfie-evans-life-support-on