Parents fight to let their baby live

minusxerø · Jan 31, 2005

This is a revival of an old post, but only because there are updates on Charlotte's situation. Here is the article from the original post:

Doctors caring for 11-month-old Charlotte Wyatt want to go against her parents' wishes and let her die in peace, rather than resuscitate her if she stops breathing for a fourth time.

They say it is "against the child's interests" to let her live.

But Darren and Debbie Wyatt refuse to give permission to allow doctors to withdraw life-saving treatment saying their baby daughter is a fighter with a real chance of living.

Baby Charlotte's life now rests with a High Court judge who will rule if she is too ill to let her suffering continue.

Charlotte has been ill since birth and has never left hospital. She was born three months premature and weighed just one pound.

She cannot feed naturally, is on a supply of oxygen and has had to be resuscitated three times.

Doctors say she has no chance of surviving infancy, will never leave hospital and should be allowed to die in peace.

But Charlotte's parents believe their daughter, having fought against the odds so far, has a real chance of survival and that everything possible should be done to keep her alive.

Their counsel, David Wolfe, told the judge at a preliminary hearing: "They are entirely happy with, and grateful for, the treatment which Charlotte has received so far from the Trust and its staff.

"They wish formally to place on public record their thanks to the Trust and all the staff who have looked after Charlotte."

The couple, both committed Christians, of Westminster Way, Buckland, Portsmouth, have visited Charlotte in hospital every day, sometimes with their 20-month old son Daniel.
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For those interested to know the High Court judge has ruled for the "Do Not Resuscitate" order, which means that if she "dies" again, medical staff should not assist.

The parents of premature baby Charlotte Wyatt vowed to fight on today after a High Court judge refused to suspend his order allowing doctors not to resuscitate the desperately-ill child if she stops breathing.

But Mr Justice Hedley gave Darren Wyatt and his wife Debbie permission to bring up-to-date expert evidence to court.

They hope that at a new hearing before Easter they will show that their daughter’s condition has dramatically improved.

The parents’ solicitor, Richard Stein, said after the hearing that they were “naturally very disappointed” and would be preparing an appeal as soon as possible.

He said the parents of 15-month-old Charlotte were pleased the judge acknowledged that further evidence might lead to a long-term change in the court order.

But his decision “means Charlotte could die before the court considers the new evidence and decides what the long-term position should be”.

The judge said he was “delighted” by the improvements observed in 15-month-old Charlotte since he granted doctors a declaration last October.

“Nobody who knows this case can derive anything other than pleasure from that,” he said.

But at present there was no evidence to show that the improvements reflected any change in Charlotte’s very serious underlying condition.

Mr and Mrs Wyatt, from Portsmouth, say their daughter’s condition is improving against all the predictions of doctors, who said she would not last the winter.

The medical team treating her says there has been no improvement in her serious underlying problems and that her brain is not growing.

A spokesman for Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, which is caring for Charlotte, said in a statement: “The Trust is grateful to the judge for the sympathetic and humane way in which he dealt with this very difficult case once again.

“We are also pleased he recognised that the high standard of care is producing benefits for Charlotte, but the underlying very serious condition is unchanged.”

Mr Wyatt, 33, and his 23-year-old wife had asked the judge to suspend the declaration he granted to doctors last October while further expert evidence was gathered about the baby’s chances of survival.

The judge had heard from paediatric experts that the baby, who weighed just 1lb and measured only 5in when she was born three months premature at St Mary’s Hospital, Portsmouth, in October 2003, had serious brain, lung and kidney damage, was blind and deaf, was fed through a tube, needed a constant supply of oxygen and was incapable of voluntary movement or response.

In today’s ruling the judge said: “It is important to make clear that the effect of the order has no impact whatever on the duty of a medical practitioner to act at all times in the best interests of any patient.

“The orders grant the protection of the court to the medical practitioner if he arrives at a specific conclusion about the best interests of the child.”

He said he had seen evidence from a consultant paediatric neurologist, identified in court as Dr C, saying that on the last two occasions she had seen Charlotte she had been having “a good day”.

“She now generally has good days whereas some months ago she seemed to be in a state of distress and discomfort requiring regular medical sedation which was no longer needed.”

Her need for oxygen had declined but was still high although she could be taken out of her headbox and could be held and cuddled if she wears a face mask to deliver oxygen.

Charlotte does react to a loud noise or the sound of hands being clapped, and will frown and grimace but does not smile.

Mr Justice Hedley went on: “But according to Dr C, this did not indicate any change in Charlotte’s underlying condition.”

He said she had grown very little and her brain “not at all”.

“The delight in her improvement has to be qualified by the fact that at present I have no evidence to support any proposition that that is reflected in changes in the underlying condition from which she suffers.”
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Link

Note that the article reported is in reality only a few days old, as most of the articles I've found are dated the 27th and the 28th.

Please respond with your comments and opinions.

peripeteia · Jan 31, 2005

Well, when your time is up, you really have to go, no matter how hard you try.

just my two cents worth.

lp_sk8ergurl · Feb 1, 2005

I think the little girl has suffered enough.

lofton0788 · Feb 1, 2005

poor people

Sønic · Feb 1, 2005

Like peripeteia said, if its your time to go, go..no matter how young or old you are.

adelleda · Feb 1, 2005

Poor child. Let her die in peace.

Mark · Feb 1, 2005

Originally posted by adelleda@Jan 31 2005, 10:55 PM
Poor child. Let her die in peace.
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^^

Jila · Feb 1, 2005

well i think i stated my opinion pretty clearly in the last thread.

User Name · Feb 1, 2005

I'm too lazy to search, so uhh, could you remind me?

Jila · Feb 1, 2005

haha

i think this baby has suffered enough. the parents are just making their daughter go through so much pain, blah blah blah, something something something.

i cant think right now, im hungry. but i said something along those lines.

*stomach grumble*

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