The End of One Sad Story and the Continuation of Another

Geoff Atkins
Jul 24, 2017 · 4 min read
Img Credit to Reuters

I wrote a piece about a tragic news story recently which had been perverted to attack the entire concept of universal health care, and the British National Health Service (NHS) in particular.

TL;DR — Charlie Gard is a very sick little boy, and the hospital decided that it was in his best interests to be allowed to die with dignity. His parents, as is their right, challenged this decision. That legal fight has lasted for months, through the High Court, the Appeals Court, the Supreme Court, the European Court of Human Rights, and back to the High Court again, as Connie Yates and Chris Gard, parents of Charlie, desperately fought to find some way to save their little boy.

That fight ended today, when they concluded that medical science could not save their child.

Throughout this, I supported the hospital. Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) is one of the finest paediatric hospitals in the world, and the doctor in charge of Charlie’s care one of the foremost in the world in treating mitochondrial disorders of the type Charlie suffered from.

The accusation that the decision to take Charlie off life support was purely financial, a position I rebutted in my earlier article.

However, disagree as I might with Connie and Chris, and their decision to go against the professional advice of the hospital, and that of independent medical experts brought in by the courts, I can’t fault them for their actions. There but for the grace of God, as the saying goes. What would I have done in their shoes, if it was one of my children facing that? Behind told there was nothing medical science could do? Probably fought just as hard against the decision, clinging onto whatever hope, however small, that there might be an answer somewhere.

They received a lot of support. Petitions, protests, voices of encouragement from on high (Pope Francis and Donald Trump both weighed in on the side of the parents), and a crowd sourced £1.3 million raised to pay for Charlie to receive experimental treatment in the US which might extend his life by a small amount.

Whether any of this, in the abstract, was beneficial is questionable. It certainly aided in dragging out the whole, inevitable tragedy. But I don’t think you can blame someone for having more hope than medical training. Whether it was objectively right, it was definitely the human thing to do.

From this heart-wrenching story I can only hope that some light comes, that someone somewhere is inspired to become a doctor, to train in paediatrics, to work towards a future where there are fewer and fewer incurable conditions. That someone chooses to become a lawyer for the right reasons (that’s not an oxymoron in the UK). That they see the terrible choices that sometimes have to be made, but choose to work to find the right course of action anyway.

One thing remains, something I hope all of humanity takes away from this story. And that’s to do with how some people expressed their opinions during this long and arduous series of events.

Both Charlie’s parents and staff at GOSH received hate mail.

GOSH staff because of the mindless prattle rattling around in minds like that which I wrote my previous article in reply to. Prattle that accuses dedicated medical professionals of murdering a baby boy out of expediency. An accusation which should be repulsive to anyone, whether they pay for their health insurance through a government run health care scheme or via a private insurer; because doctors could be accused of the same thing under either. The long and drawn out legal battle, I truly think, should be the best evidence that this is utter bullshit.

Charlie’s parents though, I have no idea what could possess someone to bombard them with hate mail. To what end does that serve? What purpose could someone possibly have for attacking two innocent people who are already going through so much?

This is another tragedy. One baby boy who has suffered greatly in his short life, despite the love of his parents and the dedication of the doctors and nurses caring for him, will soon be at peace, unaware of all the people who fought over what was best for him. There is another tragedy, and it’s one that will be with us, long after this. That people consider it acceptable to utter the most vile sentiments towards other human beings, simply because they disagree with them.

My hope in this regard is that we come to realise that there are limits. That we might mature as a species. That we call out those who use hatred and division and make it socially unacceptable again. I can’t say that I hold out much hope for this, but hey, I’m a dreamer.

And then when I see Jaden Violet or Meg or H. Nemesis Nyx calling people out on Medium, that hope stirs.

Geoff Atkins

Written by

I’m British. Learn to love the U’s. Digital Marketing Master (although I try to keep work and play separate) and Prompt God.

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