Charlie Gard's last days were turned into 'soap opera' says medic

[Deleted]

http://www.itv.com/news/2017-08-05/c...ra-says-medic/

A medic who treated Charlie Gard has said the baby's last days were turned into a "soap opera", with him being kept alive for people such as Donald Trump and the Pope.

Writing anonymously in The Guardian, the clinician explained they had been part of the team of 200 nurses, doctors and consultants who had cared for the terminally ill baby in intensive care.

"Like all of the staff who work in our unit, I loved this child to bits," the Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) worker wrote.

"But it got to the point where there was nothing more we could do."

The doctor said they did not want to lose Charlie, but that it was their job and "moral obligation" to speak up and say when they think "enough is enough".

The health worker wrote: "We gave him drugs and fluids, we did everything that we could, even though we thought he should be allowed to slip away in his parents' arms, peacefully, loved.

"We didn't do this for Charlie. We didn't even do it for his mum and dad.

"Recently, we did this for Donald Trump, the Pope and Boris Johnson, who suddenly knew more about mitochondrial diseases than our expert consultants."

Charlie died in a hospice on July 28, just days before his first birthday on August 4.

The 11-month-old baby was born with a rare genetic disease called mitochondrial depletion syndrome which caused progressive muscle weakness and meant that he was deaf and unable to cry.

Charlie's parents, Chris Gard, 32, and Connie Yates, 31, were embroiled in a five-month legal battle with GOSH to gain permission to fly him to the US for experimental treatment not available in the UK.

However, specialists at the London hospital said the nucleoside bypass therapy would not help.

The legal battle captured the attention of the world, with the US President and Pope Francis both offering support.

"Over the last few weeks, parts of the media and some members of the public turned a poorly baby's life into a soap opera, into a hot legal issue being discussed around the world," said the medic.

She added that GOSH staff had been called "evil" by "keyboard warriors" and that friends had asked why they were trying to kill Charlie.

The case had also made other parents at the hospital "nervous" about whether the right thing was being done for their children, the health worker explained.

The clinician who contacted The Guardian said it was highly unusual, but that months of concern and frustration had taken a toll on staff.

I agree and I think certain individuals should have a hard good look at themselves

[Creotor]

That is just depressing. Though, I think it's unlikely any of those higher ups knew that he was supposed to stop receiving support already or that he should be dead already (as shitty as that sounds). They or their team probably wanted to do a publicity stunt, reached out to the hospital or whoever in UK, the hospital then instructed/was instructed to keep the child alive until all this was done.

[Acidbaron]

Honestly, the parents got sold on a lie. And they fully played into the game, however when you make things public, ask for public support you need to fully realize what kind of shit storm you are stepping into.

Can only imagine what a shitty position you had to be put in there as a care giver, due to a ton of uninformed people all with their own misplaced morals and agenda's.


If i'm really blunt and brutal, the kid should have been transported at the RISK and FULL RESPONSIBILITY of the AMERICAN scam artists. The Kid would have died and the parents would have been hit by an inhumane amount of guilt but it would have shut up quite a lot of those self-proclaimed experts and those with an agenda behind it would have see it blown up in their face.

[Shinra1]

He needs to stfu no one cares what he has to say if he is going to remain anon what a coward.

[Deleted]

He needs to stfu no one cares what he has to say if he is going to remain anon what a coward.

Why should he STFU

It was his team that had to deal with this circus, his team that was caring for Charlie and his team undermined by attention craving cunts

[Templar 331]

The doctor said they did not want to lose Charlie, but that it was their job and "moral obligation" to speak up and say when they think "enough is enough".

A doctor shouldn't have the "moral obligation" to determine when someone dies.

If i'm really blunt and brutal, the kid should have been transported at the RISK and FULL RESPONSIBILITY of the AMERICAN scam artists. The Kid would have died and the parents would have been hit by an inhumane amount of guilt but it would have shut up quite a lot of those self-proclaimed experts and those with an agenda behind it would have see it blown up in their face.

I very much agree with this. If the treatment wasn't going to work and the child was going to die anyway then why not let them try? Because someone thought they had a "moral obligation?" Sounds like these doctors just didn't want to lose control of the situation. They wanted this child's life in their hands and no one else's. They wanted him to die on their terms.

That is barbaric.

[Deleted]

A doctor shouldn't have the "moral obligation" to determine when someone dies.



I very much agree with this. If the treatment wasn't going to work and the child was going to die anyway then why not let them try? Because someone thought they had a "moral obligation?" Sounds like these doctors just didn't want to lose control of the situation. They wanted this child's life in their hands and no one else's. They wanted him to die on their terms.

That is barbaric.

Ofcourse a doctor has the moral obligation to advise against medical treatment if they feel it will not only not work but potentially cause unnecessary suffering

[Acidbaron]

I very much agree with this. If the treatment wasn't going to work and the child was going to die anyway then why not let them try? Because someone thought they had a "moral obligation?" Sounds like these doctors just didn't want to lose control of the situation. They wanted this child's life in their hands and no one else's. They wanted him to die on their terms.

That is barbaric.

It's a doctors call to do no harm and select the best possible treatment, unless that doctor name was Mengele i don't see how shipping a child across the ocean to be subject to tests a good call. So another doctor who didn't bother to really look into the matter sold them a lie, a lie so that he would get some extra funding and a living test subject.

But looking at how the US looks at medical care of others, nothing really surprises me these days. So perhaps its simply me being weird that i cannot support nazi doctor practices. Probably is

[Independent voter]

It degenerated into a pissing contest between the US and Britain, Britain won.

[Templar 331]

Ofcourse a doctor has the moral obligation to advise against medical treatment if they feel it will not only not work but potentially cause unnecessary suffering

Advise, absolutely. Make that call for the parents? Hell to the fuck no.

[Deleted]

Advise, absolutely. Make that call for the parents? Hell to the fuck no.

The doctors didn't make that call the supreme court did (which was ignored)

[Templar 331]

The doctors didn't make that call the supreme court did (which was ignored)

Why do you think it had to be taken to court if the doctors weren't overriding the parents?

[Deleted]

Besides when the parents are no longer thinking rationally and logically then damn right they shouldnt have control

[Independent voter]

Maybe @Dr Assbandit will comment, he's a doctor.

[Deleted]

Why do you think it had to be taken to court if the doctors weren't overriding the parents?

Because the parents were not behaving rationally or logical and were a risk

[Socialhealer]

He needs to stfu no one cares what he has to say if he is going to remain anon what a coward.

oh shit we got a badass keyboard warrior over here, i guess you're also a mitochondrial disease expert as well who could of saved his life, like so many others on mmo-c.

[Templar 331]

Because the parents were not behaving rationally or logical and were a risk

Wanting to try a treatment to save their child's life isn't rational or logical?

[Elba]

The kid should have died months ago. Everybody involved in prolonging his suffering is a horrible person.

[Deleted]

Wanting to try a treatment to save their child's life isn't rational or logical?

Not if everybody is saying it won't work... You're aware he was terminal no matter what? The treatment would've added a few weeks of life if that

[Elba]

Wanting to try a treatment to save their child's life isn't rational or logical?

It was not a cure but merely a treatment of his symptoms. Kid was dead dead.