Indi Gregory, the critically ill eight-month-old baby at the centre of a legal battle, has died after her life support was turned off. Staff at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham determined that they could do no more to help Indi, who had mitochondrial disease which prevents cells in the body from producing energy. Her father, Dean Gregory, announced that she died at 01:45 GMT on Monday after being taken to a hospice. Her mother, Claire Staniforth, was with her for her final breaths.
Over the past several months, Indi’s parents have launched a number of legal challenges in an effort to prolong their daughter’s life. Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, an organisation affiliated with Christian Concern, the family has appealed to the High Court, the Court of Appeal, and the European Court of Human Rights in an attempt to keep their daughter on life support. However, specialists contended that the treatment she was receiving was futile and caused pain, while her parents disagreed.
The family also failed in their bid to transfer Indi to a hospital in Rome. The NHS categorises mitochondrial disease as incurable, given that it prevents cells in the body from producing energy. Christian Concern reported that Indi was transferred to a hospice on Saturday with a security escort and that she was relaxed and slept during the journey. Her life support was subsequently removed at the hospice and she was given invasive ventilation.
Indi’s father, who said he knew Indi “was special from the day she was born,” announced her death. Christian Concern, who had been supporting the family, announced that they now seek to grieve and heal
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