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Baby Charlie out enjoying final days with parents as court orders life support off

The parents of terminally sick baby Charlie Gard have released footage of the trio enjoying a picnic outside hospital on the same day they were told his life support would be switched off.

Charlie Gard, wrapped in a blanket, with mother Connie Yates and Chris Gard are seen on the grass outside Great Ormond Street Hospital.

“Hey bubba,” his mother says as she looks at him.

Some music plays as she covers him in another blanket to protect him from the wind.

Charlie enjoys some sun with mum and dad. Source: Featureworld
Charlie enjoys some sun with mum and dad. Source: Featureworld

He’s then seen in a hospital bed with his father holding his hand.

“Be good for the nurses,” Chris says to his son.

“I’ll see you first thing in the morning.”

Chris then kisses Charlie before his mum returns at another time and giggles as he makes noises with his mouth.

His parents were fighting to have the 10-month-old taken to the US for experimental treatment. Photo: GoFundMe/ Charlie Gard
His parents were fighting to have the 10-month-old taken to the US for experimental treatment. Photo: GoFundMe/ Charlie Gard


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“What are you doing?” she chuckles.

The boy’s distraught parents had been trying to find a medical team that could look after him in a hospice for several days so that they could bid farewell to him just days before his first birthday, which is due on August 4.

A judge had given the parents until noon Thursday to reach an agreement with the hospital about spending more time in a hospice, but no compromise was reached so a judge ruled that Charlie's artificial ventilation should be turned off.

He will now spend his final hours in a hospice before he’s taken off life support.

Charlie's parents sit bedside with him. Source: Featureworld
Charlie's parents sit bedside with him. Source: Featureworld


"It is not in Charlie's best interests for artificial ventilation to continue to be provided to him, and it is therefore lawful and in his best interests for it to be withdrawn," High Court judge Nicholas Francis said in an order.

His parents had wanted to take him to the United States to undergo an experimental treatment never before tried on anyone with his condition, against the advice of Great Ormond Street doctors, who said it would needlessly prolong his suffering.

The treatment they wanted for Charlie, called nucleoside therapy, had not even been tried on mice with the same disease, which Charlie had, an extremely rare mutation of an inherited disease called infantile onset encephalomyopathic mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome.

It’s not known when his life support will be turned off or when he will be moved.