'No words': Tributes pour in for Archie Battersbee as people leave flowers, candles outside hospital
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Archie Battersbee took his last breath when his life support was taken off on Saturday, August 6, 2022. Following his death, family, friends, and people all over the world paid their last respects to the little boy from Southend, with some leaving flowers and lit candles outside the Royal London Hospital, where he was admitted, according to reports. The 12-year-old passed away at 12:15 pm after being in a coma for almost 5 months.
Shelley Elias, 43, a mother of two from Stepney, East London, was among the many supporters at the hospital. She said, "I wanted his mum Hollie and the family to know I was thinking of them." She brought flowers, a card, and candles and added, "I didn't know what to write because there are no words that will take the pain away." A few passers-by created candles that flickered in the shape of the letter "A". They also formed a heart around a card that had Archie's name in a make-do tribute in front of a statue outside the hospital. Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, who has been constantly supporting the family, said, "Our thoughts, prayers, and support are with Archie's family at this tragic moment. We will continue to support the family, as we have done throughout, ever since they came to us after being issued with last-minute legal proceedings to remove life support from Archie."
READ MORE
How online asphyxiation challenge left Archie Battersbee 'brain dead' with 'low chance of recovery'
Reportedly, the night before Archie passed away, his parents decided to spend every second with him. Even during his final moments, they were by his bedside. His mother spoke to the press after the youngster's passed away. "It's with my deepest sympathy and sadness to tell you Archie passed at 12.15 today. And can I just tell you, I'm the proudest mum in the whole world. Such a beautiful little boy and he fought right until the very end and I'm so proud to be his mum."
One of his relatives, Ella Carter spoke to reporters waiting outside the hospital and said that Archie was taken off all medication at 10 am. She also informed that his stats were stable for two hours, but as ventilation was reduced, he turned completely blue.
Archie Battersbee was found unconscious at his house on April 7, 2022. His mother Hollie Dance found him with a ligature over his head, performed CPR, and called an ambulance. Upon reaching the Southend University Hospital, he suffered a cardiac arrest. Soon, a legal battle began between the boy's family and the Christian Legal Centre on one side and the Barts Health NHS Trust and a Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service on the other.
The opponents argued that Archie should not receive any treatment as he was brainstem dead. Eventually, the High Court, the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court, the European Court of Human Rights, and the United Nations also got involved. The parents argued that their boy should receive more time to recover and that "it is for God to decide what should happen to Archie."
As a last resort, the family sought legal permission to move Archie to a hospice. But the High Court ruled that the youngster should not be removed and should spend his last days in the hospital. The hospital withdrew all treatment that was given to Battersbee on Saturday, August 6, 2022, and soon, he was pronounced dead. Carter said that what the family had to go through was "barbaric."