Hollie Dance: Archie Battersbee’s mother fought ‘to the last end’ to save her son
Hollie Dance thought Archie Battersbee was taking part in a risqué online challenge that was popular on TikTok.
After seeing authorities choose the young man’s fate, people were shocked by the recent death of 12-year-old Archie Battersbee. Hollie Dance, his son’s mother, vowed to “fight to the end” before he died. After losing her latest legal battle to keep him on life support, the mum announced her plans to continue fighting in the mornings while clutching her coffee mug, according to Sky News. She explained: “I don’t tend to sit around sobbing. I never stopped moving. Do you realize that I travel 40,000 miles every year for my children?” According to the reporter, the mother often wears running shoes. Hollie, a former dancer and single mother, worked seven days a week to feed and raise her children. “I had to pay her father to take care of the children. I did everything I could to encourage children in their interests, including Archie’s MMA, Lauren’s love of horses, Tom, her brother’s boxing and Lauren’s equestrianism,” she added.
The Barts Health NHS Trust asked the court for permission to conduct a test to support its claim that Archie’s brainstem was dead. The Trust defied the child’s relatives and called for an immediate end to Battersbee’s medical care. Hollie explained: “It’s too early. Why don’t they want to give him a chance? People live longer for broken bones.” Ultimately, however, the court dismissed the mother’s objections and ruled that the child should not receive any further therapy.
The mother also spoke candidly about the origins of the unfortunate incident. Hollie believes her son participated in a risky online challenge that became popular on TikTok. He injured himself attempting the prank and was discovered at her home in Southend-on-Sea with a ligature around his neck. He was quickly taken down by his mother, who then sought help before giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. She explained: “I don’t think about the event. But the other day I took a little break from the hospital – the first time I hadn’t been there or at the court – and I started having flashbacks. I had the flu.”
Despite the fact that doctors claimed Archie’s brain was deteriorating, his mother still had to go through a series of court cases. She said that although they were all difficult, the second High Court fight was the most challenging. Archie is “most likely dead” according to medics as no brainstem test was performed during the procedure. It was difficult for the family to hear the medics repeatedly pronounce Archie dead when their other children were present at the session. Hollie essentially lost the entire conversation. Her only triumph came when her attorneys convinced the jury that the criminal standard of proof should be used in determining whether someone is dead or not.