The Archie Battersbee case

[MidnightAura]

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!

She seems as fame hungry as Hollie.

 

[unimpeded]

Those benefits would of stopped when he went in hosp?

Yes, I believe they do stop after a time (2 weeks maybe?) so will be stopped by now, but the longer they keep Archie "alive", the more they raise via grifting. Once the life support has been turned off, that pretty much dries up completely.

Like I said, it's a horrible thought to have, but I'm not sure I could confidently put it past them.

 

[Leascarle]

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.

I truly can’t decide if she’s bad or mad ?

 

[kittenattack]

I think people can display bizarre behaviour once they're in the public eye. It's like the fame completely takes over and they're high on it. I read that somewhere. I don't know whether she's clinically delusional, in complete denial or just enjoying the attention. The staff must be tearing their hair out with her though.

 

[Leascarle]

I think people can display bizarre behaviour once they're in the public eye. It's like the fame completely takes over and they're high on it. I read that somewhere. I don't know whether she's clinically delusional, in complete denial or just enjoying the attention. The staff must be tearing their hair out with her though.

thats exactly what I’m thinking I mean the lies does she believe them truly ?Saying the girlfriend has felt his hand squeeze what I read that’s also a lie

 

[Vickster2110]

I have been lurking on this thread a while and wanted to say something but it's hard to word it

Firstly, what a heart-breaking situation, so sad, that poor child and as much as an absolute tool that his mother is, I do feel for her, it must be horrendous.

So, my story- just over 4 years ago my husband used a fentanyl patch that wasnt prescribed to him for a slipped disc and it but him into such a deep sleep that he was unconscious..while unconscious, he vomited and breathed it in. I found him barely alike, the ambulance gave him an anti fentanyl medication and brought him around, but his lungs were so damaged they put him into a coma for 2 weeks to allow his lungs to heal and to ensure he was getting enough ventilation

Those 2 weeks were torture, he swelled up, flinched, responded, cried while in a coma, got infections, they couldnt regulate his breathing, his temperature rocketed and plummeted. It was a nightmare. He broke out in blisters all over where his skin was breaking down- that was after two weeks in an induced coma.

After those 2 weeks, he was allowed to regain consciousness. Thankfully, in spite of everything he had been through, he had few issues really- his brain function was the same and although his lungs were weak, they were ok. His mental health was a mess though, 4 years on he has night terrors, PTSD, hallucinations while awake while his brain tries to process what happens. He is on 4 types of antidepressant and antianxiolytic and has been through intense therapy. His muscles had, in 2 weeks of being in an induced coma, wasted to a point that they are only recovering now. Yes, he is back in work and we live a normal enough life on the surface, but he has been suicidal, is fragile and the whole incident wrecked him both physically and emotionally

That is after 2 weeks in a coma. And he had no brain damage and no long term actual life threatening physical issues after this.

If this poor child wasn't severely brain damaged by the events, after all those months being in a coma, he would be an absolute mess and would possibly never ever recover. The physical wasting away and the emotional trauma at that young age would ruin him. And you add the brain damage to that... it doesnt bear thinking about! i just think of the effects of 2 weeks on life support and induced coma and how that impacted a fit, healthy, stable man... this poor child.. as I said, it doesnt bear thinking about

The mother is right to let the poor kid go.. and everyone can talk about him flying with the 'angles' (sorry, couldnt resist...)

What an absolutely heartbreaking story!! I'm so sorry you went through this but so glad your husband survived and is getting help for his trauma....I hope you are too as that experience must have been terrifying for you too

 

[KittyGhosts]

The similarities with parental behaviour/blame between AB’s situation and Jahi McMath are interesting.

It has been said that Jahi (who had fairly complex surgery for palate and tonsils) was given solid food by family against medical directions whilst in recovery. It’s also alleged that family were encouraging her to vocalise, laugh and talk when HCPs had stressed voice rest.
Apparently Jahi choked on the food and was suctioned by a family member thus removing wound site clots and resulting in the haemorrhage that led to her brain damage.

It’s suggested that the guilt the family felt led to them wanting to prolong her ‘life’ and from what I’ve heard about AB’s potential suicide attempt it seems like Lisa is following this pattern.

There was also a lot of shite dug up on Jahi’s mum’s social media about how she physically assaulted her kids and questions about general (lack of) parenting. Plus attention seeking stuff like Lisa/Hollie

 

[Tui]

The similarities with parental behaviour/blame between AB’s situation and Jahi McMath are interesting.

It has been said that Jahi (who had fairly complex surgery for palate and tonsils) was given solid food by family against medical directions whilst in recovery. It’s also alleged that family were encouraging her to vocalise, laugh and talk when HCPs had stressed voice rest.
Apparently Jahi choked on the food and was suctioned by a family member thus removing wound site clots and resulting in the haemorrhage that led to her brain damage.

It’s suggested that the guilt the family felt led to them wanting to prolong her ‘life’ and from what I’ve heard about AB’s potential suicide attempt it seems like Lisa is following this pattern.

There was also a lot of shite dug up on Jahi’s mum’s social media about how she physically assaulted her kids and questions about general (lack of) parenting. Plus attention seeking stuff like Lisa/Hollie

Oh wow I didn’t know all of that about jahi mc math!

 

[Thechubbymoaner]

What an absolutely heartbreaking story!! I'm so sorry you went through this but so glad your husband survived and is getting help for his trauma....I hope you are too as that experience must have been terrifying for you too

Thank you so so much for being so lovely and so kind, so grateful. It was horrendous but we are so lucky and so grateful he is here. Id like to say it's made me a better person but it hasn't, but it had made us appreciate what is important. I just feel for anyone who has had a loved one on life support, or anyone who has been, it's so traumatic xxx

 

[kittenattack]

One has to wonder why archie wasn't taken to see a doctor when he was found 'practising' hanging himself prior to his final attempt and why harmful things weren't removed from the house. It must have been known that he was depressed.

 

[beyoncescleaner]

One has to wonder why archie wasn't taken to see a doctor when he was found 'practising' hanging himself prior to his final attempt and why harmful things weren't removed from the house. It must have been known that he was depressed.

They probably just didn’t care. Probably ignored him or didn’t take it seriously.

 

[Weeder]

In a family of people who act out it was probably not taken seriously, or Hollie, being the over qualified medic she is felt she could handle it. Looking at the family dynamics I'd suggest it might have simply been ignored. If she's truly a narc then she's the most important person in that house and there's little room for other people's feelings, speaking from experience.

 

[My2pWorth]

I went looking for the photo of him after reading here and came across a minefield on fb. What on earth is going on, there's another page talking about comments nurses made online who are dealing with him. I would be mortified by all this if he was my son.

 

[stevenseagull]

She’s posted more pictures of him and people are saying how well and healthy he looks.

The child looks… dead.

My heart actually breaks when I see him - how deluded are his army to look at him and think he looks good?!

 

[Cack Conroe]

I am not comfortable with suggestions that Hollie is a narc or a bad mother. We have no proof of that at all.

The only thing we have hearsay about is that she was maybe a pushy mum. But so are lots of mums and it doesn’t make them “bad”. There is also a lot of evidence that she is a loving and attentive mother.

Making unproven accusations against her or the family seems unnecessary and unfair and I’m surprised people who are up in arms about a grieving, traumatised, delusional mother making unfounded accusations against the hospital, are not also upset by those doing that to Archie’s mother and wider family. Hollie is not in a rational state of mind right now, no online spectators have that excuse. There’s lots of talk about how “Archie’s Army” are vicious but it seems the other side are becoming just as bad.

At the end of the day, in their mind, they’re trying to save the life of their 12 year old child. Archie is not suffering, he no longer has the capacity to suffer. There is no evidence that his continued treatment is actually preventing anyone else getting treatment. The vitriol the family are getting is out of proportion to their actions.

Scrutiny of their dishonest or incorrect claims is necessary, and people are entitled to voice their disagreement with the continuing life support. I just think this suffering family deserves more compassion than they’re getting.

 

[candyland_]

I guess it’s hard when you see a family on the news and giving interviews to tv shows while they are stood grinning and laughing.

As a mother myself I wouldn’t leave my child for those things.

 

[sheleg]

I am not comfortable with suggestions that Hollie is a narc or a bad mother. We have no proof of that at all.

The only thing we have hearsay about is that she was maybe a pushy mum. But so are lots of mums and it doesn’t make them “bad”. There is also a lot of evidence that she is a loving and attentive mother.

Making unproven accusations against her or the family seems unnecessary and unfair and I’m surprised people who are up in arms about a grieving, traumatised, delusional mother making unfounded accusations against the hospital, are not also upset by those doing that to Archie’s mother and wider family. Hollie is not in a rational state of mind right now, no online spectators have that excuse. There’s lots of talk about how “Archie’s Army” are vicious but it seems the other side are becoming just as bad.

At the end of the day, in their mind, they’re trying to save the life of their 12 year old child. Archie is not suffering, he no longer has the capacity to suffer. There is no evidence that his continued treatment is actually preventing anyone else getting treatment. The vitriol the family are getting is out of proportion to their actions.

Scrutiny of their dishonest or incorrect claims is necessary, and people are entitled to voice their disagreement with the continuing life support. I just think this suffering family deserves more compassion than they’re getting.

Nope.

A good mother wouldn’t ignore the advice of medical experts and keep her brain-dead son alive, stoking a media circus around him.

 

[BeansOnBeans]

Nope.

A good mother wouldn’t ignore the advice of medical experts and keep her brain-dead son alive, stoking a media circus around him.

I mean, she has also changed her story about 6 times about what had happened and that's a red flag, and yes the media circus about the NHS wanting to stop his life support to apparently 'harvest his organs.'

 

[stevenseagull]

Telling people that the children hospital has death chambers goes beyond “compassion for a grieving mother”

 

[Leascarle]

Telling people that the children hospital has death chambers goes beyond “compassion for a grieving mother”

absolutely one million per cent this,sometimes there are no excuses for bad behaviour