Meet Alfie
About a year and a half ago a six-month old baby named Alfie Evans was admitted into a Liverpool, England hospital after suffering from seizure like symptoms and fell into a coma. Since that time his parents have watched while a team of doctors struggled and ultimately were unable to diagnose Alfie. Meanwhile a series of scans has shown that Alfie’s brain has greatly deteriorated. Doctors believe there is no hope for Alfie and that he should be removed from life support. His parents disagree. The court and public opinion battle that ensued has involved the Pope, protests, and foreign hospitals offering to take Alfie in. Below is a radio segment from today’s Morning Air program on Relevant Radio, as well as a timeline of all that has happened in this case so far. As of this posting Alfie is breathing on his own in the hospital. Please pray for Alfie, his family, the medical staff, and everyone involved that they might do what is right.
Timeline
December 14, 2016: Alfie admitted to Alder Hey hospital in Liverpool.
December 2016 – December 2017: Doctors are unable to diagnose Alfie’s condition. Scans show Alfie’s brain has been severely damaged over time.
December 2017: Doctors decide they should remove care, including a ventilator and intravenous nutrition. Parents disagree. Courts decide in favor of doctors; parents appeal
Dec 2017-March 2018: A court battle continues, eventually ending up in the UK Supreme Court, with the Court ruling against the parents’ wishes.
April 11, 2018: Judge rules a final end-of-life plan drawn up by hospital doctors should be implemented. Parents try, but are not allowed to take Alfie home.
April 18, 2018: Alfie’s dad goes to Rome, meets pope Francis. Pope Francis offers to provide free care at Vatican hospital.
April 2018: Protest outside the hospital grows to a few hundred
April 23, 2018: Italy grants citizenship to Alfie so he can travel there and receive care. Judge in UK decrees that he cannot leave the country, or even the hospital and doctors’ orders must be followed.
April 23, 2018: 9pm UK time Alfie is taken off the ventilator. Doctors predicted he would die within 5 minutes. He kept breathing.
April 24, 2018: For 24 hour Alfie was denied food and water, until the doctors finally concede to the pleas of his parents.
April 26, 2018: Alfie has been off the ventilator for 3 days. He remains in the hospital, breathing on his own and receiving nutrition through a tube. Doctors now considering at least letting him go home. Protests grow into thousands outside the London hospital.
UPDATE: Alfie’s father Tom Evans released a statement asking the protesters to go home and allow he and his wife to negotiate a peaceful end to Alfie’s life.
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