Millions raised for baby who doctors say should be allowed to die

  • 03/04/2017
Charlie has been in hospital since he was 8 weeks old (Go Fund Me)
Charlie has been in hospital since he was 8 weeks old (Go Fund Me)

Parents of a boy with a rare genetic condition have raised $1.9 million in a crowdfunding campaign to access medical treatment that could save his life.

Eighty thousand people contributed to the campaign for seven-month-old Charlie who was born with mitochondrial depletion syndrome - a disease with no known cure.

His parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates live in London, and want to travel to the US to access premium medical treatment, just one day before a judge will decide whether Charlie's life support should be switched off.

The disease causes proteins that help decode DNA to break down, and he has been in hospital since he was eight weeks old, Channel Nine reports.

"He can't have this treatment in the UK so our only hope now is to get Charlie to America. This will obviously cost us a ridiculous amount of money, money we unfortunately don't have enough of," the couple wrote on the crowdfunding campaign.

"If we don't raise enough money then we won't be able to go to America for treatment and Charlie will die! Great Ormond Street Hospital have already taken us to court to try and gain permission to turn off our baby's ventilation which will result in Charlie's death :( They don't think it's in his best interests to go but we think it's in his best interests to have a chance to improve."

Doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital argued Charlie should be moved off the ventilator that is keeping him alive, and be moved to palliative care.

But his parents want him to have a chance with the almost $2 million treatment, in the hopes that it could save his life.

Newshub.