A deadline has passed for the parents of Charlie Gard to agree with doctors on where their son will spend his last days, Reuters reported. As Faithwire reported yesterday, Chris Gard and Connie Yates recently had to give up their “final wish” to take Charlie home to die after a longstanding battle over medical decisions and parental rights came to an end early this week.
READ: Critics Said There Was No Hope for Charlie Gard. Here’s Where They Went Very Wrong.
Charlie will have his ventilation tube removed just short of his first birthday next week. But as time ticks on, the details of the child’s end-of-life care are still being sorted out in court.
High Court Judge Nicholas Francis said Tuesday that he would rule on where Charlie is to die unless a last-minute deal could be struck between Charlie’s family and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). As of Wednesday, however it appeared that a compromise had been made.
A retired intensive care doctor and a group of nurses at GOSH agreed to transport 11-month-old Charlie, who suffers from a rare mitochondrial disorder, to a hospice care center that would be his final residence.
“We need some peaceful time with our baby boy,” the parents said in a statement Wednesday. “We need a pediatric intensive care consultant to come forward to assist and facilitate with a hospice stay.”
But a lawyer for Charlie’s court-appointed guardian told the High Court that no hospice could provide care for a child like Charlie for long, necessarily cutting that precious time short.
Charlie’s parents were given until noon Thursday to work out arrangements with GOSH officials. If no agreement is reached, Charlie will be transferred to a hospice center where his ventilation tube will be removed shortly afterward.
Addressing Charlie’s court-appointed guardian Wednesday, Connie Yates shouted, “What if it was your child? I hope you are happy with yourself.” She then left the High Court in tears.
As of now, it is unclear whether a compromise has indeed been made. What is clear, however, is that Charlie’s parents have fought up until the very last moments, blocked by numerous obstacles, just to be with their son a bit longer. The grief they are facing is unimaginable.
Please keep the Gard family in your prayers, and be sure to check back with Faithwire for more updates.