Philip Hilton, Gillian Morriss-Kay, Alison McKendrick and Margy Wooding on hope, loss and lessons from the tragic death of the 12-year-old
Rachel Clarke’s excellent article about the Archie Battersbee case was a poignant and level-headed approach to what was a dreadfully difficult time for everyone involved (What can we learn from the awful tragedy of Archie Battersbee’s death?, 7 August). Hearing the news that a loved one can no longer be kept alive is often confusing. Losing hope is unbearable. I held my brother’s hand for more than six hours when his life support was withdrawn, having been confident that he would recover. As difficult as this was, I believed that the doctors had done everything they could.
Whatever the motives of the media or any well-meaning support groups, it is important that we keep this fundamental fact in our minds: doctors save lives; they do not want to give up.
