LONDON (CBS4) – The 11-month-old baby at the center of dispute over treatment of his rare medical condition has died in hospice care.

Gard was moved to hospice care following a judge’s order Thursday. He was taken off life support there.

The rare genetic condition Gard suffered from is called mitochondrial depletion syndrome, which made it so he was unable to breathe on his own.

His parents, Connie Yates and Chris Gard, lost court battles over his treatment, including trying to get him to the United States of an experimental treatment that was opposed by London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital.

The parents gave up their legal fight earlier int he week and wanted to bring Charlie home to die, but the judge ruled against their wishes. </s> LONDON (AP) — British media are reporting that 11-month-old Charlie Gard, focus of a legal health battle, has died.

A British judge had ruled on Thursday that the terminally ill baby should be transferred to a hospice. The ruling marked the end of a months-long legal battle brought by his parents centered on the infant's right to life.

Gard had a rare genetic disease called mitochondrial depletion syndrome. He had brain damage and was unable to breathe or move his limbs without help.

His parents, Connie Yates and Chris Gard, spent months trying to persuade London's Great Ormond Street Hospital to let Charlie go to the United States for an experimental treatment they believed could help him. Charlie's doctors opposed the idea, saying it would not help and could cause Charlie more suffering.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. </s> Charlie Gard, an 11-month-old baby at the center of an international dispute over treatment of a rare medical condition, has died in hospice care.

His family announced his death Friday, according to the BBC.

A judge in the U.K. ordered Gard moved to hospice care from a hospital on Thursday, where he was taken off life support. The judge said the move would “inevitably result in Charlie’s death within a short period of time thereafter.”

Parents of Charlie Gard end legal fight to bring terminally ill baby to U.S.

Gard suffered from a rare genetic condition called mitochondrial depletion syndrome and was unable to breath on his own. His parents, Connie Yates and Chris Gard, lost a series of court battles over his treatment. The parents wanted to take Charlie to the U.S. for an experimental treatment, which officials at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital opposed.

British courts and the European Court of Human Rights sided with the hospital, which wanted to take Charlie off life support and allow him to die naturally.

The parents gave up their legal fight earlier this week and wanted to bring Charlie home to die. Judge Nicholas Francis deemed that impractical and ordered him moved to hospice care. </s> LONDON (AP) - Charlie Gard, the critically ill British baby at the center of a legal battle that attracted the attention of Pope Francis and U.S. President Donald Trump, has died. He would have turned 1 next week.

Charlie suffered from a rare genetic disease, mitochondrial depletion syndrome, that caused brain damage and left him unable to breathe unaided.

His parents fought for the right to take him to the U.S. for an experimental therapy they believed could prolong his life. But Charlie's doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital objected, saying the treatment wouldn't help and might cause him to suffer. The dispute ended up in court.

A judge ruled Thursday that Charlie should be transferred to a hospice and taken off life support after his parents and the hospital that had been treating him failed to agree on an end-of-life plan.

Charlie's mother, Connie Yates, confirmed his death to British media: "Our beautiful little boy has gone, we are so proud of you Charlie," she said, according to the BBC.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. </s> LONDON– The parents of the terminally ill British baby Charlie Gard have given up their legal fight over treatment for their son in the US.

Their lawyer Grant Armstrong told the UK High Court Monday that experts have said that the “window of opportunity no longer exists.”

“For Charlie, it is too late…treatment cannot offer a chance of success,” he told the court.

Charlie’s parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates made their decision following the latest medical reports and scans, the Press Association reported.

“Dark days lie ahead for these parents…” they want to spend time with Charlie,” Armstrong said.

Charlie, whose first birthday is August 4, was born with a genetic mutation called mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome. It leads to weakened muscles and organ dysfunction, among other symptoms. The prognosis is poor for most patients. Charlie is unable to breathe or move on his own.

Great Ormond Street Hospital — where Charlie has been since October 2016 — received permission from the European Court of Human Rights in June to discontinue life support.

But his parents wanted to bring him to the US for an experimental therapy called nucleoside bypass therapy. It has never been used to treat Charlie’s form of mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome.

The doctors at GOSH have argued that every medical option has already been considered and treatment in another country would not be in Charlie’s best interest.

“These parents should know that no parent could have done more than they did for their child,” said Justice Nicholas Francis, who is presiding over the case.

He was critical of those who weighed in on the case without knowing the facts. Both the Pope and US President Donald Trump have shown their support for Charlie’s parents.

“When cases such as this go viral, the watching world feels entitled to weigh in regardless of whether or not they are informed on the facts of the case,” he said. </s> LONDON (AP) – Charlie Gard, the critically ill British baby at the center of a legal battle that attracted the attention of Pope Francis and U.S. President Donald Trump, has died. He would have turned 1 next week.

Charlie suffered from a rare genetic disease, mitochondrial depletion syndrome, that caused brain damage and left him unable to breathe unaided.

His parents fought for the right to take him to the U.S. for an experimental therapy they believed could prolong his life.

But Charlie’s doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital objected, saying the treatment wouldn’t help and might cause him to suffer. The dispute ended up in court.

A judge ruled Thursday that Charlie should be transferred to a hospice and taken off life support after his parents and the hospital that had been treating him failed to agree on an end-of-life plan. </s> R.I.P little Charlie, sorry we couldn’t save you.

Some sad news to report: Charlie Gard, the terminally-ill baby that was the center of a controversy regarding parental rights and experimental treatment, has passed away in a hospice after his life support machine was withdrawn on Friday. He would have turned one on August 4.

Charlie spent the majority of his life in Great Ormond Street Hospital after being diagnosed with an extraordinarily rare disease called mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome. This disease robbed Charlie of his ability to move and breathe, and he was dependent on a ventilator. His parents, Connie Yates and Chris Gard, raised over a million dollars to move him to the United States for an experimental treatment, but were not permitted to do so following a ruling by a human rights course that this was not in his best interest. A fierce debate on parental rights and medical care options soon followed, with figures as diverse as Pope Francis and President Donald Trump issuing statements of support for the Gard family. </s> (CNN) The parents of the terminally ill British baby Charlie Gard have given up their legal fight over treatment for their son in the United States.

Their lawyer Grant Armstrong told the UK High Court Monday that experts have said that the "window of opportunity no longer exists."

"For Charlie, it is too late ... treatment cannot offer a chance of success," he told the court.

Charlie's parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates made their decision following the latest medical reports and scans.

"Dark days lie ahead for these parents ... they want to spend time with Charlie," Armstrong said.

Rare genetic mutation

Charlie, whose first birthday is August 4, was born with a genetic disease called mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome. It leads to weakened muscles and organ dysfunction, among other symptoms. The prognosis is poor for most patients. Charlie is unable to breathe or move on his own.

With legal battle over, baby Charlie Gard will begin receiving palliative care.

Great Ormond Street Hospital -- where Charlie has been since October 2016 -- received permission from the European Court of Human Rights in June to discontinue life support in spite of his parents desire to bring him to the US for an experimental therapy called nucleoside bypass therapy. It has never been used to treat Charlie's form of mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome.

The doctors at GOSH have argued that every medical option has already been considered and treatment in another country would not be in Charlie's best interest.

Dr. Michio Hirano, a professor of neurology at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York, and a leading expert on Charlie's condition, flew to London last week to assess the child. Both he and prominent Vatican pediatrician Dr. Enrico Silvio Bertini asked for a brain and full body scan on Charlie, according to a statement handed out by the parents' lawyers.

"Sadly, following the body MRI the parents' worst fears have been confirmed by their team of international experts that it is too late to treat Charlie," the statement said. The MRI body scan gauged muscle wastage.

Hirano said a treatment known as nucleoside bypass therapy had a minimum 10% chance of bringing about significant improvement in Charlie's condition.

The lawyers said if Charlie had been able to have the treatment they had suggested earlier, then there might have been hope.

In ending their legal fight, the court issued a new judgment that upholds an April ruling to discontinue life support and provide Charlie with palliative care.

"Our staff share the parents' sadness over Charlie whom they have cared for with dedication during the months he has spent at Great Ormond Street Hospital," a statement said. The hospital acknowledged the complexity of the situation as one dealing with medical ethics and experimental treatment.

"These parents should know that no parent could have done more than they did for their child," said Justice Nicholas Francis, who is presiding over the case.

Chris Gard and Connie Yates speak following their decision to end their legal challenge.

He was critical of those who weighed in on the case without knowing the facts. Both the Pope and US President Donald Trump have shown their support for Charlie's parents.

"When cases such as this go viral, the watching world feels entitled to weigh in regardless of whether or not they are informed on the facts of the case," Justice Francis said Monday.

"Our son is an absolute warrior and we could not be prouder of him and we will miss him terribly," Yates told the court.

"Charlie has had a greater impact on and touched more people in this world in his 11 months than many people do in a lifetime.

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"We will do our utmost to ensure that no parents have to go through what we have been through and the next Charlie that comes along will get this medicine before it's too late and Charlie will save many more lives in the future, no doubt about that.

"We are now going to spend our last precious moments with our son Charlie, who unfortunately won't make his first birthday in just under two weeks' time." </s> Charlie Gard has died following his near year-long battle with a rare genetic disease.

His life support was withdrawn at a hospice, a day after the High Court ordered his transfer from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

In a statement, his mother Connie Yates said: "Our beautiful little boy has gone, we are so proud of you Charlie."

GOSH said everyone at the hospital "sends their heartfelt condolences to Charlie's parents and loved ones at this very sad time".

:: Pope leads tributes to 'little Charlie'

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Born a "perfectly healthy" baby on 4 August last year, Charlie's fight against a rare inherited disease generated headlines around the world.

His parents' legal bid to transfer their son from GOSH to the US for experimental treatment attracted the support of both the Pope and President Trump.

But, with UK courts consistently agreeing with Charlie's doctors that keeping him on life support was not in his best interests, his mother and father ended their high-profile legal battle on Monday.

:: Timeline - Parents' battle to save Charlie Gard

Connie Yates and Chris Gard lost a subsequent High Court bid to secure their son several days of life-support treatment, with GOSH describing their plans as not "in any way viable".

Charlie Gard 'the absolute warrior'

Ms Yates said she was "shocked" by the ruling, adding that GOSH had "denied us our final wish".

Charlie is believed to have been only the 16th person to ever be diagnosed with infantile onset encephalomyopathy mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome (MDDS).

His condition meant he had a decreased number of the cells needed for respiration and energy production in muscles, the liver and brain.

Charlie could not move his arms or legs, was only able to breathe through a ventilator, had deafness and suffered severe epilepsy.

After finding an American doctor willing to offer the boy experimental treatment, Ms Yates set up a crowdfunding page in January in order to pay for the trial therapy.

Image: GOSH said a recent scan on Charlie made for 'sad reading'

After attracting celebrity backing and widespread support on social media, the "Charlie's Fight" campaign went on to raise more than £1.3m through donations from more than 84,000 people.

However, in April, a High Court judge agreed with GOSH that the experimental treatment was "very unlikely" to work and ruled doctors could withdraw all treatment except end-of-life care in the "best interests" of Charlie.

Charlie's parents launched unsuccessful appeals all the way up to the Supreme Court and failed to convince European judges to take on the case.

Their fight returned to the High Court in early July, so judge Mr Justice Francis could consider any new evidence.

Image: Charlie is believed to have been only the 16th person to be diagnosed with MDDS

During the hearing, Ms Yates broke down as the parents were told by a GOSH representative that a new scan on their son made for "sad reading".

Paying tribute to their son following the end of their legal challenge on Monday, Ms Yates and Mr Gard described him as an "absolute warrior".

Mr Gard said: "Mummy and Daddy love you so much Charlie, we always have and we always will and we are so sorry that we couldn't save you.

"We had the chance but we weren't allowed to give you that chance. Sweet dreams baby. Sleep tight our beautiful little boy."
Charlie Gard, an infant with a rare genetic condition known as mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome, dies at the age of 11 months.