(CNN) — Archie Battersbee, a 12-year-old British boy at the center of a long legal battle between his parents and doctors over the withdrawal of his treatment, died on Saturday, his mother, Hollie Dance, said.
Archie died at 12:15 p.m. local time at the Royal London Hospital, a few hours after doctors stopped the artificial ventilation that was keeping him alive, Dance told reporters, adding that she was “very proud to be his mother.” .
“What a beautiful boy, and he fought to the end,” he said.
Dance said the hospital had made it clear there were no other options and life support would be withdrawn Saturday morning.
The 12-year-old had been in a coma since his mother Dance found him unconscious in April. He was kept alive by a combination of medical interventions, including ventilation and drug treatments, according to Britain’s PA news agency.
Paul Battersbee (left) and Hollie Dance (right), lost a Supreme Court attempt to delay the withdrawal of their son’s life-sustaining treatment.
Doctors ultimately concluded that the boy was “brain dead,” prompting his family to wage a legal battle to keep him on life support in the hope that he would recover, PA reported.
In recent days, the family made offers to the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the European Court of Human Rights to have him transferred to a hospice to die, according to PA.
“Archie Battersbee passed away on Saturday afternoon at the Royal London Hospital after treatment was withdrawn in accordance with court rulings in his best interests,” read a statement from Alistair Chesser, chief medical officer of Barts Health NHS Trust on Saturday.
“Members of his family were present at his bedside and our thoughts and deepest condolences remain with them at this difficult time,” the statement added.