Charlie Gard's mum urges High Court judges to 'give us a chance'
Connie Yates says her baby son "could potentially be a normal boy again" if he is allowed to receive experimental treatment.
Monday 10 July 2017 16:21, UK
Charlie Gard's mother has urged judges to listen to the experts as she said an experimental treatment could be a "miracle" for her son.
Connie Yates told Sky News: "For these very rare diseases there are experts out there, I hope they just listen to them and give us a chance.
"There are now seven doctors supporting us who specialise in Charlie's condition.
"I hope they can see there is more of a chance than previously thought and hope they trust us as parents and trust the other doctors."
She was speaking ahead of a High Court hearing on Monday.
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The case returned to the High Court following "new evidence" from researchers at the Vatican's children's hospital about an experimental treatment that may improve the 11-month-old's condition.
Charlie cannot breathe without a ventilator due to a form of mitochondrial disease which affects the cells responsible for energy production and respiration. His parents want to take him to the US for nucleoside therapy.
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Ms Yates said there are doctors in the US, Spain, Italy and England who are supporting them and said if the medication works Charlie "could potentially be a normal boy again".
She said: "There are 18 children currently on this treatment - one of them wasn't able to do anything and now she's riding a bike. She was on a ventilator as well before and she's not on it anymore.
"This could be a miracle for Charlie," she added.
Previous attempts by Charlie's parents failed as the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court ruled in favour of Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) doctors, while the European Court of Human Rights said it would not intervene in the case.
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Specialists at GOSH, where baby Charlie remains on life support, previously argued nucleoside therapy would not improve his quality of life.
But on Friday the hospital applied to the High Court for the fresh hearing "in light of claims of new evidence relating to potential treatment for his condition".
Ms Yates told Sky News: "We're the ones who sit with him 24 hours a day - we couldn't do it if he was suffering or in pain... we just want to be able to give him a chance and leave no stone unturned.
"We're not saying Great Ormond Street is a bad hospital but they don't have a specialist for his particular condition.
"We don't see what's dignified about him dying - we think it's dignified that he has a chance at life and if it doesn't work then we'll let him go."