ARCHIE Battersbee’s devastated mum has told how her beloved son died 15 minutes after his life support was switched off with “no dignity”.
Traumatised Hollie Dance, 46, says the image of her darling boy “suffocating” on August 6 will be seared on her mind forever.
Hollie Dance has revealed Archie’s heartbreaking final moments in wake of his death[/caption]
The grieving mother said watching her son ‘suffocate’ will stay with her forever[/caption]
The tragic 12-year-old passed away after being kept alive by life support machines for nearly five months[/caption]
Archie’s life support was withdrawn after his parents lost their mammoth legal battle to keep their son alive.
The tragic 12-year-old spent almost five months in intensive care after suffering brain damage from taking part in a social media dare.
Doctors declared him “brain-stem dead” after Holly horrifically found him with a ligature around his neck on April 7 this year at his home in Southend, Essex.
His mum and dad Paul Battersbee lost their fight at every hurdle to keep him on life support, with judges ruling it was not in the youngster’s “best interests”.
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Holly has now opened up about Archie’s “heartbreaking” final moments after her tirelessly fighting for her son’s life.
She told the Mirror: “The morning Archie died, I told him how much I loved him.
“At midday they took his pipe out. It took 15 minutes for his heart to stop. There was nothing ‘dignified’ about his death.
“It was heartbreaking, watching your child suffocate. That image will never, ever leave me.”
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The schoolboy passed away at 12.15pm on August 6 at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.
But his family’s torment is far from over, with Holly admitting she will hear the noise of the machines that kept her son alive “for the rest of her life”.
The desperate mum had vowed to “continue giving Archie oxygen” when medics withdrew his life support.
She is now channeling her grief into tackling social media giants for failing to crackdown on dangerous online challenges.
Holly claims there have been at least 82 deaths related to the “blackout challenge” which cost Archie his life.
The terrifying dare encourages users to choke themselves until the point of losing consciousness.
It was heartbreaking, watching your child suffocate. That image will never, ever leave me.
Hollie Dance
Numerous other youngsters have reportedly been left brain dead after taking part in the fatal trend.
Holly said she found footage of a man in his 30s “demonstrating” the challenge to children and has urged online platforms to step up and stamp out harmful content.
She added: “It’s out there and people are grooming our children to do these challenges, it’s disgusting.
“The people – they’re often adults, not children – who are demonstrating these challenges are sick.
“Those people need to be held accountable. The police and the Government need to work together to stop this.”
The 46-year-old now wants to protect children and parents from the agony her family faced after Archie fatefully took part in the trend.
She is also taking on the court system in a bid to change laws surrounding patients on life support.
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Despite spending several gruelling months fighting for Archie, Holly has no regrets about exploring every avenue with her legal case.
She added: “I wouldn’t have changed a thing. That legal challenge bought us five extra months with my child.”
Holly has called on social media giants to stamp out dangerous online trends[/caption]
Archie was found with a ligature around his neck on April 7 after taking part in the ‘blackout challenge’[/caption]
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