Archie Battersbee

[smurfchops]

What is wrong with this woman? Her son had the best free NHS care possible, care which she says wasn’t good enough, poor little Archie has now gone, and now she wants a public enquiry. Of course I feel sorry for her but she has really gone too far. She should be grateful she didn’t have to pay for something that was self inflicted. Rant over.

[fiveleaves]

What is the wrong with Archie mother is she has just lost her 12 year old son. I have rarely come across such an insensitive and heartless post

[nero2024]

davebro
im with you a 12 year old freely using the web without any supervision of what he's looking at its easy to check the web pages used on any mobile laptop or pc

[Ellipsis]

> What is wrong with this woman?

Well, for a start, she's just lost her son, so her emotional state is likely to be wobbly.

Then there's her forlorn hope that Archie may have recovered, given enough time and care. "Hope is not a strategy" but it's all she had.

Then there's the guilt that this happened on her watch but she wasn't there.

Then there was making sure that she gave him every possible chance, so that she can never look back and say "If only". She's done everything she possibly could to get him back, since finding him in that state.

Then there's trying, forlornly, to learn lessons and make sure that no other parent goes through something similar. But they will, if they find their child in a similar state, because the NHS actually did its best with what it was presented here.

I feel no ill will or animosity at all towards Archie's Mum. She's done her best for him since finding him in that condition. She's struggling with what happened and to accept the inevitable outcome. Emotion is trumping logic and rationality, of course. But show a bit of tolerance, she's been through the wringer.

> I see parallels with the Harry Dunn case.

Nope! There are none.

[nero2024]

well said

[sanmac]

Unfortunately, a lot of mothers lose their children through various reasons, but most of them do not create a media three-ring circus out of the tragic event.

[calmck]

I agree that Archie's mum should now be grieving for her soon surrounded by her family. The press should not be following her around but give her privacy. Possibly there needs to be a review into the care of terminally ill children being treated in a hospital setting, the information given to parents regarding what is realistic to expect in the way of recovery and who should make the ultimate decision to withdraw care. Maybe a guardian ad litum for the child. The problem becomes more acute when the press is on the case and only part of the story is published. In my opinion if these cases go to court there should be a reporting ban. The press actually allowed the parents to vent their spleen against all and sundry

[burlyshirley]

I too agree with smurf. The poor doctors and nurses are not allowed to speak out, nor it seems can anybody speak for them and yet day after day after day this lady was stood outside the hospital berating them. They must have been devastated. How anybody can think they didn't give it their all is beyond me. As the experts, they knew there was no hope and, to me, when he turned blue as soon as the machines were turned off, meant that he had been dead for a very long time and yet the family stated he suffocated !

I firmly believe the family should go away and do their grieving in private now and lean on each other for the support they will need and stop berating the medics involved.

[Boto]

I agree wholeheartedly with the OP. This woman went running to the press at every opportunity because she didn’t want to accept he was dead. I am not a particular lover of the NHS but what would the point of them lying to her and I think they did their best for him. Now she just needs to grieve for him.

[Hopkirk]

Someone must have been paying her legal bills. Who was it?

[pastafreak]

I think I read somewhere on AB that it's probably the Christian Legal Centre that is paying their bills.

[andres]

A Christian Rights group say that they will continue to support the family. Whether they are paying the bills I don't know.

[smurfchops]

Paying what bills?

[THECORBYLOON]

There must be a fair amount to pay for all the legal challenges.

[jourdain2]

I tend to agree with the O.P. The poor woman has been beside herself with shock and horror and probably a feeling of guilt. This is all very understandable, but something has gone wrong here and instead of counselling to help her into understanding and acceptance, she has been not only allowed, but encouraged to encourage the glare of publicity and to lash out blaming everyone else.

I criticise the NHS greatly in general terms these days, but I feel quite sure that a specialised team caring for this child will have done everything they could for him and that this hysterical circus has somehow been created by outside encouragement. Mum should feel grateful for the care her son received.

A tragic situation made worse by publicity. Even worse, the real cause of Archie's death - the on-line video challenge - has dropped out of sight when it needs addressing a.s.a.p..

[MissTerious]

I too agree with Smurf. The family should channel their anger at those that caused this terrible accident and Archie's death, not towards the Hospital or the courts.

[Rosetta]

If there is a public enquiry, I hope it also focuses on the role of the Christian Legal Centre, what their motives are and where they get their money from as its not a registered charity as far as I know

[twix123]

How much in legal fees has this cost Barts NHS Trust, money that could have been channelled towards treating other patients?

Neither have I seen any public word of thanks from the poor lad's parents towards the medical staff that were caring for him.

[naomi24]

Unless they've been in her shoes no one can know what this lady has suffered and is suffering. From her point of view there was hope for her son. Doctors were telling her there was none but she says the little boy squeezed her hand and other reports say he cried, so what is a mother to think or do? There are many cases where doctors have given up all hope only to find that given a bit more time, they were wrong, and doubtless she was aware of that, as are we all. We've been in that situation personally. Asked for permission to turn off a fairly young adult's life support - which we gave - only for the patient to stir into recovery before that was done. That was about ten years ago and he's still going strong - and he's healthy too.

I can’t say that in her situation I would have believed the doctors either because apart from the physical indications she claims she witnessed that life still existed for him, other factors would have been running through my mind, not least, as mercenary as it may sound, the medical profession's awareness of the financial cost of keeping him alive in a situation they, no doubt very genuinely, felt futile - and in some cases I do think those factors are a consideration.

No mother could have fought harder for her child - and for that, in my opinion, she doesn't deserve censure.

https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2022-05-14/he-squeezed-my-fingers-mums-plea-to-keep-archie-battersbees-life-support-on

[douglas9401]

They weren't 'keeping him alive' though, they were preserving a body with no brain function.

[murraymints]

I have read reports that this was NOT a tiktok thing ..but suicide and it seems he attempted it the preceding day too... whilst I appreciate the distraught grief experienced..I am sure the hospital did all it could to help..often in such tragedies people lash out and try to blame others rather than accepting the realities of the situation..poor wee chap..