The bereft parents of baby Charlie Gard have opened up about his sad passing. Charlie, who would have turned one yesterday, died last Friday in a hospice after his life support was withdrawn.

 

In their first interview since Charlie’s death, mum Connie Yates and dad Chris Gard told The Mail Online of their complete devastation when MRI scans revealed Charlie’s fight was over.

 

“It was truly terrible,” Connie said. “Chris and I were crying, our legal team were crying, because we knew this was the end”.

Chris says: “We rushed back to the hospital and, when we saw Charlie in his bed, his little toy monkeys in his hands, our hearts broke. We sobbed at the hopelessness of it all”.

 

The couple returned to court to plead for the right to take Charlie home for a few days but sadly their appeals fell on deaf ears.

 

“We simply wanted a few days of tranquillity with him”, Connie explained. “After everything, we didn’t think it would be too much to ask”.

 

 

Sadly, their request was refused as Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) claimed the necessary intensive care equipment which Charlie depended upon wouldn’t fit through the door of their apartment.

 

Reluctantly the couple agreed to let Charlie die in a hospice and a transfer to the hospice was arranged for 7am the next morning.

 

That night, Chris and Connie stayed in the hospital with Charlie. They didn’t sleep as they wanted to spend every minute they could with their son.

 

“We cuddled him and told him how much we loved him. We took photos of his hands, feet, fingers and toes. Every second with him was precious. We never wanted to forget how beautiful he was,” a heartbroken Connie explained.

 

In the early hours of Friday morning, a desperate Connie emailed the judge asking for a little more time with her son.


"I cannot begin to describe the feelings you have as a mother knowing your child is about to die. I hoped for some compassion, but he emailed back saying it simply wasn’t possible because GOSH didn’t agree," she explained.

 



At 6:35 in the morning, hospital staff arrived to transfer Charlie to a hospice. The couple were given five hours to spend with him before life support was withdrawn.

 

“We took Charlie out for a walk in a pushchair in the hospice park. We had little plaster of Paris moulds made off his feet and hands with ours,” Chris said.

 

“We dressed him in a Babygro with stars on it. He looked so beautiful and innocent. The hospice staff popped in. Those last five hours had flashed by. A woman said the moment we dreaded would happen in the next five minutes,” Connie recalled.

 

“Chris and I were both crying. We laid on the bed with Charlie between us, each of us holding a hand. We were both telling him we were there, we loved him, how proud we were of him.

 

“A staff member disconnected the ventilator so that the tube was still in Charlie’s nose, but it wasn’t working.

 

 

Happy 1st birthday our angel Charlie Gard! 

A post shared by #charliesfight (@charliesfight) on

 

Chris and Connie were told it could take five or six minutes for Charlie to die but they say it was 12 minutes before he passed away.

 

The couple were given a cuddle cot which allowed them to take Charlie home to spend some precious time with him before his funeral.

 

“The moment was very emotional,” Connie said. “We had got our last wish to bring him home, but Charlie was no longer alive”.

 

The couple are now finalising his funeral plans and trying to come to terms with their heartbreaking loss.

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