A British family is fighting the courts for their daughter's life after she was diagnosed with a rare disease. Indi Gregory has mitochondrial disease and is receiving treatment at Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham. Her future is now in the hands of a judge who will determine whether to continue care for the infant.
Her parents, Dean Gregory and Claire Staniforth, want their daughter to have a chance to live, no matter how long that life will be. Many say this is a complex case that will undoubtedly end in heartache.
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The hospital claims there is nothing more it can do.
The BBC reported that the medical team at Queen's Medical Centre appealed to the High Court to end Indi's care, claiming there is nothing more they can do for her. Gregory appeared in High Court Friday, on behalf of his daughter and said she deserves a chance at life. The BBC reported Nottingham University Hospital's NHS Trust said it is in Indi's "best interests" to end treatment.
Staniforth remains by her daughter's side.
The judge, Mr. Justice Peel, was informed that Staniforth has stayed with Indi since birth. The baby is afflicted with a rare genetic disease that will ultimately cause premature death. The case reached the High Court because her parents and medical team disagreed with her care, according to the BBC.
Barrister Emma Sutton KC, who leads the trust's legal team, reportedly said in court the infant is "critically ill."
"Since her birth, Indi has required intensive medical treatment to meet her complex needs and is currently a patient on the paediatric intensive care unit within Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham," Sutton said, per the BBC.
Indi will only live for a few months.
Sutton claimed in court that mitochondrial disease is both rare and devastating. The life expectancy for an infant with the diagnosis is short.
"The trust seek a declaration that in the event Indi again deteriorates to a point where medical care and treatment is required to sustain her life, that it is not in Indi's best interests to receive any critical care or painful interventions, and it is lawful for her treating clinicians to withhold the same," Sutton said.
Sutton added that intense treatment will not help Indi to live a long life.
"Whilst further invasive treatment may, for a short time, prolong Indi's life, it will not improve its quality and will cause her further pain and unnecessary suffering."
The medical facility recognizes the seriousness of the heartbreaking case.
NUH's chief nurse, Michelle Rhodes, shared in a statement obtained by the BBC that the facility is committed to caring for Indi and giving her the best life possible.
"We wish to express our sympathies to Indi's family at this very difficult time. We know that this is an extremely difficult case for all involved and we continue to support Indi's family and provide specialised care for Indi," she shared. "Cases like this are so difficult and we are of course saddened that we are unable to do more for Indi, but we will always act in the best interests of our patients and do all we can to advocate for them when needed."
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Indi's family plans to fight for their baby.
Gregory and Staniforth started a GoFundMe account to help raise money and awareness about Indi's case. The family explained their daughter has been extremely ill since birth and has not left the hospital. She has faced surgeries and life-threatening infections.
"When she caught sepsis ecoli she really went down hill, having to be intubated and having cardiac arrest 3 times requiring CPR which we have had to fight for as we was constantly being pushed for no DNR many times before this event," a post on the page reads.
Gregory wrote that although Indi is ill, he will not give up on his daughter.
"Even with how Indi is now and all that Indi has been through, we have now been told we are having to go to the courts for them to decide on Indi future care because there is a disagreement between us and the drs. We are doing what's in the best interest of Indi not what's in the best interest of the system. We have HOPE and we are FIGHTING as any other parent would," he wrote on the page.
The family has raised more than 3,000 British pounds (about $3,800 US) of a 20,000 goal (about $24,000 US).
