The Archie Battersbee case

Jamhead · Jul 2, 2022

I wonder if she's already grieved and moved 'on', that's why she's so smiley and happy?
Because her behaviour is extremely odd and concerning. She knows he isn't going to survive, so now it's time for the Hollie show, for her next 5 minutes of 'fame'.

And I agree with a pp, the court should not allow this sort of social media circus. It's absolutely abhorrent that they're sharing so many intimate moments of him when he has never and will never be able to consent to it.

candyland_ · Jul 2, 2022

It would take a cold hearted person to move on this quickly?

Lalalemon · Jul 2, 2022

candyland_ said:
It would take a cold hearted person to move on this quickly?

It would take a cold hearted person to treat a dead child in the way she's treating poor Archie.

MrsJones83 · Jul 2, 2022

Leascarle said:
It took me some time but I have finally read all of the court paperwork, to me it read like he had said that life support couldn’t continue

this is what the family are appealing I believe, and while it’s being appealed, it kinda leaves it limbo

TooFarScone · Jul 2, 2022

I think if I was in this situation I'd want to agree a time to switch off the ventilator rather than wait for his heart to stop beating. That way it's planned, we could all be around him and I could hold his hand while he died. I'd much rather that than prolong it and put him through infection after infection and risk it happening while I'm not there. Hard situation but the family have already said they know he will die. Whether he's aware or not, the poor lad needs peace and dignity and he's not getting it

Mermer89 · Jul 2, 2022

kittenattack said:
Dead peoples eyes are frequently open, even when you try to close them, they'll slide back open again and never fully close unless you're persistent with closure.

I thought ITU staff taped eyes closed to prevent them from drying out, but perhaps that's not done anymore. I know they tape them closed in operating theatre.

I really think that the Courts should protect children from the behaviour of some parents. Parents don't own their children and children deserve dignity at all times - and protection from exploitation via social media of course. I don't think the Court is acting responsibly by allowing these actions by the mother. He should be made a Ward of Court due to this continued exploitation.

We tape them in theatres to protect the cornea from damage

Poor boy being shared online like this. Couldn’t get him ‘famous’ in life so she’s trying in death instead. Just want to give Archie an enormous hug

candyland_ said:
It would take a cold hearted person to move on this quickly?

I understand there’s different stages of grief and don’t want to imagine what I would be like if in this situation, heaven forbid. However I know I wouldn’t portray it for the world to see and gather an ‘army’

Tui · Jul 2, 2022

Read about this case with dread. The Charlie gard and Alfie Evans cases were one thing but this is a new level of grotesquerie. I agree with what’s been said already, when it’s a baby (who is not brain stem dead!) there is so much doubt in the parents mind about what if. But when the child is brain stem dead, this is just sick. My heart goes out to her as a mother of a boy also, my boy is still a baby but the thought of him suffering so much he decides to hang himself actually makes me feel ill. But she has to let him go. The poor staff having to maintain the corpse of a dead child, I work in the nhs also and this must be absolutely awful. I’ve been involved with some brain stem death cases which were terribly sad but fortunately the family were in agreement that continuing was futile. The money and resources being spent on this little boy who unfortunately has no chance of recovery (because he is dead, to put it horribly bluntly) is depriving other families of a chance for their child who needs that critical care bed.

Tui said:
Read about this case with dread. The Charlie gard and Alfie Evans cases were one thing but this is a new level of grotesquerie. I agree with what’s been said already, when it’s a baby (who is not brain stem dead!) there is so much doubt in the parents mind about what if. But when the child is brain stem dead, this is just sick. My heart goes out to her as a mother of a boy also, my boy is still a baby but the thought of him suffering so much he decides to hang himself actually makes me feel ill. But she has to let him go. The poor staff having to maintain the corpse of a dead child, I work in the nhs also and this must be absolutely awful. I’ve been involved with some brain stem death cases which were terribly sad but fortunately the family were in agreement that continuing was futile. The money and resources being spent on this little boy who unfortunately has no chance of recovery (because he is dead, to put it horribly bluntly) is depriving other families of a chance for their child who needs that critical care bed.

I should add, I was unaware of that case of TK in the US who was ventilated and sustained 20 years after he was brain stem dead. What a repellent case. How so many people can facilitate the desecration of a corpse like that is beyond me. I’m glad we have a public health system which would mean that taking home a child like this to be nursed at home would be probably completely impossible to achieve (unlike the TK case and poor Jahi McMath). The description of TKs PM, he was 24, little over a metre tall, microcephalic with no secondary sexual characteristics. Horrific desecration of his body and no dignity in death

Rekyavikgirl · Jul 2, 2022

The worst aspect of this is here is a 'mother' who is possibly one of the least equipped to deal with a severely disabled child (which is how she sees him). She was not a good mother to Archie when he was alive. She's an even worse one now.

StSaturnindeLucian · Jul 2, 2022

Has Jahi McMath now died or is she still kept at home?

Tui · Jul 2, 2022

StSaturnindeLucian said:
Has Jahi McMath now died or is she still kept at home?

She died, I think she lasted about 4 years in the community? There is a Wikipedia page.

Her case was interesting because she was declared legally brain stem dead in her home state of California, a death certificate was issued and then for some bizarre reason her body was released, on a vent,to her mother to transfer to a private hospital in another state where she was trached and had a PEG inserted. Awful.

Lucymyers · Jul 2, 2022

unimpeded said:
I'm sure initially she was acting from the place of a devastated mother, yet as time goes by I do suspect money is a factor now.
If his ADHD was as severe as it seems (out of school for years, then a special school placement) chances are that she gets HRC DLA (or medium rate at least), which leads to Carers Allowance and extra tax credits if she's still on legacy benefits. Losing Archie would lead to losing a lot of - what I assume would be household - financial support. I'm sure the money the family have so far grifted softens that blow a bit.

I hate that I can even imagine such a scenario, but her behaviour is seriously dodgy.

Those benefits would of stopped when he went in hosp?

super grateful · Jul 2, 2022

TooFarScone said:
I think if I was in this situation I'd want to agree a time to switch off the ventilator rather than wait for his heart to stop beating. That way it's planned, we could all be around him and I could hold his hand while he died. I'd much rather that than prolong it and put him through infection after infection and risk it happening while I'm not there. Hard situation but the family have already said they know he will die. Whether he's aware or not, the poor lad needs peace and dignity and he's not getting it

The family are saying (in one breath) that even though they kind of acknowledge this, they don’t want his death to be “planned” or “orchestrated”, that he should be allowed to pass naturally. So my argument is take away all the life sustaining treatment and see how far he gets, but they won’t let that happen as I believe they know he won’t get very far.

Then in another breath they are saying he’s alive.

They’re all over the place.

BeansOnBeans · Jul 2, 2022

I’ve managed to stumble on to another forum through google, I won’t share as some of the posts are quite distasteful and blunt, but they seem to be like some internet sleuths that have found out a lot of information and are archiving it as it’s being found/before being removed. They had found Archies TikTok that went back to when he was 10, and he had posted how he is ‘always depressed’.

Could possibly all be just a huge reach, but I've seen people say there is probably a lot more to the story.

Again, I feel for him so much, and I can’t imagine what his family are going through. I think when there is even a minuscule of hope, people want to hold on to it for as long as they can as it is more comforting than the harsh reality. I can’t even imagine being a kid again and navigating social media as it is today.

Gossngiggles · Jul 2, 2022

I haven’t seen the new video(and I don’t want to see it tbh) but how can anyone think that is an acceptable thing to share to all and sundry. These people have no idea about consent or dignity or respect. If the way they are treating him now in death is any reflection on the way they treated him in life then I can see why he was very troubled boy.

I’ve seen so many conflicting things from the family and many more things said about them by other people that it’s difficult to separate fact from fiction. The only facts are from the court papers.

Adam KG · Jul 2, 2022

Archie is dead, hopefully his body has a heart attack and he can naturally die and end this disgraceful and vile attention seeking behaviour from his mother. Does she actually want to watch as he degrades?

His mother is an absolute liar and a psychopath

Leascarle said:
I’m starting to wonder if she is in just in it for a pay out

Yes. She wants press attention and money, she is an absolute sicko

Jamhead · Jul 2, 2022

I hope that link works, how can she look so carefree and enthusiastic? It's no surprise so many people truly think he'll wake up when you listen to her talk like that.

sheleg · Jul 2, 2022

Absolutely delusional.

Purrrrrrr · Jul 2, 2022

Tui said:
She died, I think she lasted about 4 years in the community? There is a Wikipedia page.

Her case was interesting because she was declared legally brain stem dead in her home state of California, a death certificate was issued and then for some bizarre reason her body was released, on a vent,to her mother to transfer to a private hospital in another state where she was trached and had a PEG inserted. Awful.

Wasnt it then decided she wasnt braindead because her body didn't breakdown and she did start to respond to certain things, so they reclassified her as “responsive unawake syndrome”

Tui · Jul 2, 2022

Purrrrrrr said:
Wasnt it then decided she wasnt braindead because her body didn't breakdown and she did start to respond to certain things, so they reclassified her as “responsive unawake syndrome”

Yeah I think portions of her brainstem were still functioning, apparently she started menstruating as well which suggests some pituitary function. Either way it was grotesque to keep her sustained like that.

Jamhead said:
I hope that link works, how can she look so carefree and enthusiastic? It's no surprise so many people truly think he'll wake up when you listen to her talk like that.

Deluded. Even the dad(?) when she says Alfie lives, he chuckled and smiled in agreement. What the duck planet are you on mate?

grampositive · Jul 2, 2022

Jamhead said:
I hope that link works, how can she look so carefree and enthusiastic? It's no surprise so many people truly think he'll wake up when you listen to her talk like that.

Small thing to be annoyed by but irritates me beyond belief that Christian Concern refer to Ella Carter as Archie's "sister in law".

She's his brother's gf, and realistically, how many student couples who have just turned 20 stay together and get married. They're barely out of being teenagers!