Archie Battersbee has passed away. The 12-year-old Briton was in a coma after taking part in a challenge on TikTok. He was at the heart of a legal battle between his family and doctors to keep him alive when he had no chance of recovery.
It was his mother who announced, this Saturday, the death of Archie Battersbee who had been brain dead since last April. Since then, he had been at the center of a family court battle to keep him alive. His mother said he died on Saturday after the assisted breathing mechanisms were removed.
Aged 12, Archie “fought until the end” according to his mother. “I mean I’m the proudest mother in the world. He was a beautiful boy. He fought until the end and I’m so proud to be his mother,” she said. between two sobs.
Archie’s family had engaged in a long process to keep the boy alive. On April 7, he was found unconscious at his home in Southend, in the county of Essex (south-east of England). Archie had been found with a rope tied around his head. According to his mother, he was participating in a challenge on TikTok which involved holding his breath until he passed out.
Very sad news that #ArchieBattersbee has died and all my thoughts and prayers are with Hollie and the family. Thank you to all the nurses & Doctors in the NHS who looked after him until the end. ud83dudc94ud83dude4fud83cudffbud83cudf39 pic.twitter.com/kpJF5xroeu
— Anna Firth MP (@Anna_Firth) August 6, 2022
After several appeals to the British courts and the intervention of the European Court of Human Rights, the hospital, which considered that Archie had no chance of recovery, disconnected the young Briton.