THE family of Archie Battersbee have released a new photo of their beloved boy as tributes pour in following his tragic death today.
Archie, 12, passed away this morning after his life support was withdrawn following a drawn-out legal battle by his parents in an attempt to continue his care.
Hollie Dance, Archie’s mum, confirmed that her son has passed away at 12.15pm today and said she was the “proudest mum in the world” as he fought to the end.
The family have since released a new photo of the youngster.
In it, we see Archie as a small child, dressed to perfection in a grey suit, white shirt and blue bowtie.
The photo was released as part of the family’s tribute to the life of their beloved boy.
Ms Dance and ex-partner Paul Battersbee exhausted all their legal appeals, including to the UN and European Court of Human Rights, to try and keep Archie on life support.
However, courts at every stage agreed with doctors that the young man had no chance of recovery as he was “brain stem dead” and that it was in his best interests to withdraw treatment.
READ MORE ON ARCHIE BATTERSBEE
Archie was rushed to hospital after being found at home with a ligature around his neck in April this year, in what is thought to have been an attempt at a social media trend.
He was diagnosed with severe brain damage and kept on life support while the legal battle played out.
He was kept alive by a combination of medical interventions, including ventilation and drug treatments.
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, who have been supporting the family’s case, 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.
“We are thankful for the widespread public support for Archie and his family. It has been a privilege to stand alongside them.”
It was previously revealed Hollie may give her son mouth-to-mouth if doctors withdraw oxygen when his machines are switched off.
It has not been confirmed whether the grieving mum carried out CPR in her son’s final minutes.
Hollie and Paul are said to have accepted that they did all they could and that Archie’s treatment would end today.
The pair were dealt a final blow yesterday as a court ruled that Archie could not be moved to a hospice and would have to be removed from life support in hospital.
In a short statement, Hollie confirmed her son’s death through floods of tears.
She said: “Such a beautiful little boy and he fought right until the very end, and I am so proud to be his mum.”
Later, Ella Rose Carter, the fiancee of Archie’s eldest brother Tom, added: “He was taken off medication at 10am, his stats remained stable until two hours later when they removed the ventilation.
“There is absolutely nothing dignified about watching a family member or a child suffocate.
“We hope no family has to go through what we have been through. It’s barbaric.”
A devastated Hollie said yesterday: “I know I did everything I could. Everything. I know I’ve done a very good job being Archie’s mum.
“Based on my own childhood I was determined to be as good as a mother as I can possibly be and I feel like I have done that to the very best of my ability. It’s one of the reasons I am here.”
