The father of ill baby Alfie Evans has told media that his son is breathing on his own nine hours after doctors removed him from life support.
Thomas Evans told journalists at 7am Tuesday morning that his son had been removed from life support at 9:17pm on Monday the 23rd of April, but “within a few minutes,” he continued to breathe by himself.
Mr. Evans alleges that after six hours off ventilation, doctors agreed to give the little boy help by intubating him and giving him water and oxygen.
“For nine hours Alfie’s been breathing for now,” Mr. Evans told reporters outside Alder Hey hospital in Liverpool.
“He’s still breathing now. It’s come to a point when his mum’s actually asleep next to him so she can go to sleep, she feels comfortable with him,” he said.
“I sat down with the doctor, it was a lengthy talk for about 40 minutes and he ended up saying that I’m right, and I was right, I’ve always been right,” Mr. Evans claims, though Alder Hey have not yet given an official statement on the child’s condition, or whether they will re-institute life support care.
Mr. Evans continued: “They say Alfie’s suffering. Well look at him now. He’s not even on a ventilator and he’s not suffering.”
Mother Kate James and members of the family posted pictures to Alfie’s Army Facebook page showing Alfie asleep and comfortable in his mother’s arms.
The 23-month-old has an undiagnosed neurological condition and has been offered treatment in Europe which although may not save him, will allow him to live for an “undefined period”.
His parents wish him to receive this treatment, but late last year, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital determined to take the boy off life support against the parents’ wishes, and Thomas Evans and mother Kate James have been fighting in British and EU courts to keep their son alive.
Alfie was granted Italian citizenship so that he could travel to Rome to receive treatment from the Vatican-owned Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital on Monday.
Later in the evening, Alfie’s parents lost their last-ditch attempt to stop the hospital from switching off Alfie’s life support machine after judges at the European Court of Human Rights rejected their appeal.
Sky News reports that there will be a High Court hearing at Manchester Crown Court on Tuesday afternoon to discuss Alfie’s ongoing treatment.
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