The 12-year-old, who has brain damage, was at the center of a legal battle which resulted in doctors being given permission to stop treatment. The boy’s mother, Hollie Dance, said she had been “very worried” all weekend as the family await the final decision on Monday. The Court of Appeal granted a virtual hearing on Monday after the government asked it to “urgently consider” a request from the United Nations to continue his treatment so it could consider his case. It started just hours before Archie was originally due to have his life support switched off from 2pm. The court heard the hospital will not take any action until a decision is made. Barts Health NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, wrote to the family over the weekend to let them know they intended to end treatment on Monday afternoon. Ms Dance said she was given a letter with Archie’s “choreographed execution” and “just left to deal with our own feelings”. Archie Battersbee’s parents are fighting in court to keep their son on life support (PA) “There was no meeting, I sat down and cracked softly,” he told Sky News on Monday morning. “It just caused so much stress. This could have been completely prevented and handled completely differently from the way it was handled. “We shouldn’t have been dragged to court.” She also said the past two months had been “an emotional rollercoaster” and that stress levels were “through the roof”. Archie suffered brain damage after an incident at home in April, which his mother believes may have been linked to an online challenge. He has not regained consciousness since. Ms Dance said the family was “relieved” the government had taken the UN intervention seriously. “The stress of being told that Archie’s life support will be taken off at 2pm tomorrow has been horrific,” Mrs Dance said on Sunday. “We are already devastated and not knowing what was going to happen next is excruciating.” Archie’s mother, Hollie Dance (PA) Alistair Chesser, chief medical officer for Barts Health NHS Trust, said the plan to withdraw medical care would go ahead unless the court decides otherwise on Monday. He said: “Our deepest condolences go out to Archie’s family at this difficult time. We understand that the court hearing will take place on Monday morning and we await the outcome. “The treatment withdrawal plan will proceed unless the court orders otherwise.” The trust previously said in a letter to Mrs Dance and Paul Battersbee, who are separated but both live in Southend, Essex, that the withdrawal process would aim to “safeguard Archie’s dignity”. The trust said in the letter: “We understand that any discussions around withdrawing Archie’s treatment are very difficult and painful. “However, we want to make sure you and your family are as involved as you want to be.” “You or any family member may wish to lie in Archie’s bed with him or hold him in your arms if this is practically possible,” it added. Paul Battersbee, Archie’s father (PA) Ms Dance said this would amount to “extreme cruelty” and a “gross breach of Archie’s rights as a disabled person”. He said: “Archie is entitled to have his life and death decisions, made by NHS and UK courts, reviewed by an international human rights body. “To hasten his death to prevent this would be completely unacceptable.” A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “We recognize that this is an extremely difficult time for Archie Battersbee’s family and our thoughts are with them. “The government has asked the Supreme Court to urgently consider the request of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.”
