General Chat

I am making no comment on the proposed continued treatment of the baby Charlie Gard.

What I am going to rage about is the continuing abuse of staff at Great Ormond Street Hospital by the family's so called 'supporters'.

It's hard enough being staff there without suffering death threats for doing your best for children who are terminally ill.

I was absolutely disgusted hearing the family's spokesman stating on the news channels tonight that the timing of the disclosure of the management having contacted the Met Police is 'suspect' (paraphrasing).

In addition parents visiting their children having to walk through a body of people shouting their protest. Not fair and not right.

Shame on the people who take support too far. I wonder who they really care about?

I agree Joan, he seemed to be inferring that GOSH were not to be trusted.. Condemning the behaviour and asking people to just STOP would have been the right thing to do. Not stirring further emotions.

Our youngest sister was involved in an RTA when she was six and the right side of her nose and to her lip was ripped. She had it stitched up at the local hospital but as she grew the scar and her nose got distorted and became more and more disfiguring

She had several plastic surgery ops at GOSH over the years to being a teenager

They gave her the confidence not to worry about the scar as it gradually became just a laughter line from her nose and blended in

Staff and doctors there do a marvellous job . At my sisters first op my mum then my elder sister stayed with her at the hospital for two weeks

For families visiting their kiddies why should they have to walk through abusive and threatening protesters.

I join you in your anger. I was further disgusted to hear this morning that a representative of the family called this "arguably a cynical ploy".

Words fail me.

Our son was blue-lighted there from our local hospital just before his second birthday. Without their care he wouldn't be with us today.

Each member of staff is doing their absolute best for the child(ren) in their care. It is wrong on so many levels to vilify them for a difference of opinion.

There seems to be emerging a "Rent-a-mob" element in society who jump on any cause regardless of whether or not they are fully conversant with the facts of the case.

I particularly despise those who hide their identity behind a mask or abuse anonymously on the internet or social media,

There is nothing new in "rent a mob" just have a look at some back numbers of Reynolds News and NOTW. What has changed is rentamob via social media together with the willingness of main stream media such as the BBC to headline such stuff thus making news out of nothing.

Being cynical drawing attention away from other bad and discouraging news may be a reason.

The treatment & abuse the family & hospital are getting is awful you always get idiots trying to muscle in on a situation .maybe the press should back of a bit & let this family & the hospital get on with what.is right for this little boy . <3

I too am disgusted at the treatment of the GOSH staff. :-|

These people are a disgrace and are not helping the situation.

Shame on them.

GOSH perform miracles as some GR friends can testify to.

I disagree with Rollo's comment that this particular 'news' is making something out of nothing.

Every parent who visits GOSH deserves privacy and should not have to run the gauntlet of idiots who doubtless couldn't appreciate 5% of the medical problems Charlie suffers from.

As for abusing and threatening staff, FGS don't they understand that caring for these children is emotionally and physically draining. They also have to support the parents and siblings in conjunction with the physical care they provide. Often making the most awful decisions a medical expert has to make in the best interests of the patient.

I really do hope that the courts are called upon to deal with the threats asap.

I meant and mean that this sort of problem is not a public interest issue (aka news). It would be so if the medical staff were negligent but there is scant evidence of that. Sad things happen. Most of us have the capacity to grieve and move on. A few are unable to accept reality and care not what sort of trouble they whip up pursuing what they regard as their special place in the universe. The BBC should drop the matter.

Meanwhile tens of thousands of children are dying from war and disease a few hours flying from the UK. At least the BBC is asking the right questions even if sotto voco rather than out loud.

Those trolls who claim to know all the correct answers have, more often than not, misunderstood the young baby's medical problems in the first place.

Let me know if I have unintentionally fallen headlong into the same miserable mind-binding category.

But as far as I have seen the family aren't getting the abuse it's the hospital staff that are and it should stop.

Yes I know that's impossible because of the idiots/trolls on social media.

Burt they are letting their hearts rule and NOT their heads in what is best for the poor little mite.

Yes the parents will let their hearts rule but they have to understand that even taking him to the USA or getting treatment here from the American doctor may not work.
I think they are hoping for a miracle to bring the little mite back to a 100% health which is not going to work.

Once brain damaged always brain damaged and also he is blind which the parents are saying ""but he opened his eyes"" but blind people can still open their eyes.

I feel sorry for the parents but in the end they are going to face up to the real world and let him go.

No Sue Charlie's parents aren't receiving abuse it's other parents visiting GOSH from the street protesters. This seems to be based on the pro life Americans when they protest who fling abuse at everyone who enters a clinic.

This whole tragic episode became public property when the family started fund raising. Those who donated obviously wanting their money to be used as promised. Because no one appeared to appreciate that specialists may be against allowing possible further suffering be visited upon Charlie they cannot seem to accept a different outcome.

It has sadly turned a private tragedy into a public drama with added repercussions for medical staff and court officials.

Yes I agree with you Sue.

But the protesters should have more respect for the patients and parents as it must be very noisy when the protesters are shouting all the time.

Just hope that common sense rules.

I can't add any more except to give my support to what Sue said in her opening post. It is time somebody was made an example and arrested for the harrassment of those wonderful staff at GOSH. Shame on the protesters.

I don't understand it, this child is still alive (albeit artificially) because of the staff at GOSH, who have done their best for him.
Why should the professional view of consultants result in nurses and doctors being attacked?
Do these trolling morons not realise how things work?
I'll answer myself - no they don't.
Do they have medical expertise - No.
Have they even passed a stage 1 first aid course - unlikely.
Should they be caught/hauled before the court and charged with harassment - yes.

but as Sue said ................

supercrutch Report 23 Jul 2017 15:41

No Sue Charlie's parents aren't receiving abuse it's other parents visiting GOSH from the street protesters. This seems to be based on the pro life Americans when they protest who fling abuse at everyone who enters a clinic.

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I'm afraid that the actions of those pro-lifers (which we had up here for some time as well as below the line) is what sprang to mind when I read about what was happening outside Great Ormonde ......... same mentality, now mixed with the "professional" demonstrators.

My thoughts then were the same as I have now ............ wait until "it" happens to you, and then see how you behave, and will the service(s) you need still be available.

It would appear from the news that Charlie Gards parents have ended their legal challenge .