A FOUR-year-old boy who was expected to die shortly after his life support was turned off has “confounded all medical expectations” by making a miraculous recovery. The child, only known as NR, was born with a severe brain malformation and had been kept alive by the machines since Ocotber 2023, following two cardiac arrests. His parents lost a High Court bid against King's College Hospital NHS Trust in April to send him to a hospital in Italy for further treatment.
Doctors at King's College Hospital, however, said there was no prospect he would recover, predicting he'd survive for just a few days after treatment ended. At the time, the judge ruled the boy should not be "forced to live" as the burden of his treatment "far far outweighed the benefits ". But just a few months after Judge Nigel Poole ruled that life-sustaining ventilation was not in NR’s best interests and his life support machines were turned off, the little boy is still alive - and thriving.
Read more on life support The “remarkable” boy “has not only survived but has made progress” after his ventilator was removed more than four months ago, the judge said in a ruling in September. He is now miraculously breathing for himself and is able to live at home with his parents. “The expectations that NR could not be cared for at home and would not survive long after extubation have not been fulfilled,” the judge said.
He also described the case as "highly unusual", saying it raised "some challenging .
