Alfie Evans clings to life as dad claims son has been 'breathing unassisted' for more than 11 hours
Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
Alfie Evans has been breathing unassisted and is "still alive" more than 11 hours after his life support was switched off, the toddler's dad says.
Speaking outside Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool this morning, Tom Evans confirmed the terminally ill youngster was still fighting.
He claimed little Alfie had been breathing unassisted for nine hours, and that the 23-month-old's mum, Kate James, was sleeping beside him.
"She feels comfortable with him," he said.
Tom has since taken to social media to confirm his son is "still alive".
Yesterday, the father had said doctors at Alder Hey were refusing to provide Alfie, who has an undiagnosed brain condition, with oxygen.
But that appears to have changed overnight.
(Image: AFP)
(Image: Facebook/alfiesarmy)
“Nine hours Alfie has been breathing for, and he’s still breathing now," Tom told Good Morning Britain earlier today.
“It’s come to a point where his mum is sleeping next to him, she's actually going to sleep."
Tom said it became obvious Alfie was breathing "within a few minutes" of life-support being withdrawn, although doctors re-intervened after he asked them to help.
He claimed doctors re-intervened when he sat them down and said the situation was, in his opinion, becoming "unlawful".
Tom said the tot was then given oxygen and water but urged his son needed "some form of life support in the next couple of hours".
(Image: Daily Mirror)
He said: "I sat down with the doctor, it was a lengthy talk for about 40 minutes and he ended up saying that I'm right, and I was right, I've always been right."
"They say Alfie's suffering. Well look at him now. He's not even on a ventilator and he's not suffering."
Asked what intervention doctors had made, he claimed: "They left him for six hours without food, water and oxygen.
"I felt blessed when they confirmed they were going to give him his water and his oxygen.
"He's now on oxygen. It's not changing his breathing but it's oxygenating his body."
(Image: Facebook)
(Image: Facebook)
"He is still working, he's doing as good as he can," Tom added.
"But we do need him to be supported...in the next hour it's going to be hard but we will need him to be supported in the next hour or two.
"Because he's been doing it for nine hours totally unexpected, the doctors are gobsmacked and I do believe he will need some form of life support in the next couple of hours and I think he ought to be respected and given that."
Posting on the dedicated Alfies Army Official Facebook page this morning, Alfie's mum Kate wrote: “Alfie has been allowed oxygen and water!!
“How amazing is he... no matter what happens he has already proved these doctors wrong... how beautiful does he look.”
She shared a picture of her little boy being cuddled, with no tubes attached to his face.
(Image: Internet Unknown)
Tom later took to Facebook himself, writing: “I faught hard in court for my son because I know what’s right!! (sic).
“And look where we are now my son is still ALIVE AFTER OVER 10 horrendous scary heartbreaking hours.”
Tom and Kate, from Liverpool, have fought a bitter legal battle to keep their toddler on life support.
Doctors say Alfie's brain condition is incurable.
The Court of Appeal and the High Court both ordered it was in the toddler's best interests for his life support to be withdrawn.
On Monday afternoon members of Alfie's Army attempted to storm Alder Hey but police officers guarded the entrance.