Charlie Gard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charlie Gard
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| Born | 4 August 2016 |
| Died | 28 July 2017 (aged 11 months 24 days) London, United Kingdom
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| Cause of death | Mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome |
| Nationality | British |
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Charlie Gard (born 4 August 2016 – died 28 July 2017) was a baby from London, United Kingdom. He was born with a very rare genetic condition called mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome. This condition caused serious damage to his brain and made his muscles very weak, including the muscles he needed to breathe. Sadly, there was no cure for this illness, and it usually causes death in babies.
Charlie's Story
Getting Sick
Charlie's parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, took him to the Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in October 2016. He was having a lot of trouble breathing. Because of this, he needed a special machine to help him breathe, called a breathing machine.
A Difficult Diagnosis
Charlie's health continued to get worse. In November, doctors found out he had the rare genetic condition. This illness caused more brain damage and made his muscles weaker. Doctors and Charlie's parents first thought about trying a new, experimental treatment. However, in January, Charlie had seizures that caused even more brain damage. The doctors then felt that the experimental treatment would not help him get better. They believed it would only make his suffering last longer.
The doctors thought it would be best for Charlie to stop using the breathing machine and let him pass away peacefully. But his parents still wanted to try the treatment, hoping it might help him.
Going to Court
Because the doctors and parents disagreed, the case went to court. A series of court cases took place. The courts always supported the hospital's view that the treatment would not help Charlie. In the end, Charlie's parents decided to stop their legal fight. They agreed to let Charlie's life support be removed.
There was one more court case about how Charlie would pass away. This was decided on 27 July. On that day, Charlie was moved to a special place called a hospice. The next day, his breathing machine was turned off, and he died. He was almost 11 months old, just a week before his first birthday.
Images for kids
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Neurological Institute of New York, Columbia University Medical Center
