Indi Gregory: Parents of baby with same condition as Charlie Gard to beg judge today to give her a chance to stay alive
THE parents of a baby with the same condition as Charlie Gard will today beg a judge to give her a chance to stay alive.
Six-month-old Indi Gregory has mitochrondrial disease – an incurable condition which drains energy from the body’s cells.
Little Indi also has a hole in her heart and had operations on her bowel and skull soon after she was born in February.
Doctors at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham believe that invasive life-sustaining treatment would not be in her best interests.
They will today ask a High Court judge to authorise them to stand back from treatment if Indi’s condition worsens.
But her parents Dean Gregory and Clare Staniforth will tell the court that Indi “deserves a chance at life”.
Dean, 37, told the Mail: “Indi is a strong little girl and a real fighter. She deserves a chance at life.
“The hospital wants to take this away and we are beyond horrified.”
He added: “Look, if we thought Indi was brain-dead we would be utterly crushed, but we wouldn’t be disagreeing with the doctors.
“But our daughter responds to us, and on her good days she is babbling, making noises, moving all her limbs.
“We know she is disabled, but you don’t just let disabled people die. We just want to give her a chance.”
In a recent Facebook post, Clare wrote: “My strongest little human fighter Indi.
“Come on beautiful girl. My heart bleeds green for a cure for mitochondrial disease.
“I miss not being able to do all the normal things us mums would be doing right now.
“I wish I could swap places, take on her fight and give her my life. Why us!
“Why Indi! Why me! We just want her home. I will love you forever – because all of me loves all of you.”
‘SO DIFFICULT’
Indi suffers from the same condition as Charlie Gard, who died in 2017 after his parents lost a court battle to take him abroad for treatment.
Charlie’s mum Connie Yates has backed Dean and Clare’s battle to continue Indi’s treatment.
Michelle Rhodes, the chief nurse at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We wish to express our sympathies to Indi’s family at this very difficult time.
“We know that this is an extremely difficult case for all involved and we continue to support Indi’s family and provide specialised care for Indi.
She added: “Cases like this are so difficult and we are of course saddened that we are unable to do more for Indi.
“But we will always act in the best interests of our patients and do all we can to advocate for them when needed.
“We can confirm that the Trust has made an application to the High Court to ensure that Indi’s best interests can be protected.”