Charlie Gard was a very sick boy born with mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome, a rare disease with no known cure resulting in death in infancy. During his hospitalization at the Greater Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), his parents found Dr. Hirano of Columbia University who was willing to offer an experimental therapy that had a slight chance of possibly extending Charlie’s life. They needed GOSH to approve the patient transfer but GOSH refused. Their physicians argued that Charlie was so sick and the therapy was so unlikely to work that it was wrong to even attempt. The UK High Court of Justice confirmed GOSH’s position and Charlie died under hospice care on July 28.
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