Doctors refuse to let the parents of Charlie Gard take him home to die
Source: Youtube / Charlie's Fight
US President Donald Trump has offered to help the family of terminally ill baby Charlie Gard as an American doctor and hospital said it could treat the 10-month-old boy for free.
Trump offered his support to Chris Gard, 32, and Connie Yates, 31, as doctors prepare to turn off Charlie's life support.
The US President tweeted: "If we can help little Charlie Gard, as per our friends in the UK and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so."
Gard and Yates are spending the last days of their son's life with him, after being given more time before his life support is turned off.
The couple, from Bedfont, west London, raised £1.3 million ($2.3m) so they could take their son to get treatment in the US, but three UK courts said they were not allowed.
In a final blow, the European Court of Human Rights said last month that Charlie's life support would be turned off and they could not take him to America.
Members of the White House administration have spoken to the couple and Trump offered to help them in the "heartbreaking" situation.
A family spokesperson said: "Chris and Connie are overwhelmed with emotion that US President Donald Trump and the Pope have spoken publicly of their support.
"Their kind words have given them so much comfort. Currently they remain at Charlie's bedside and his condition remains stable."
President Donald Trump has offered to help dying British baby Charlie Gard - but whether or not he can is under consideration. Photo / Getty / AP
The President's tweet, which had 4000 retweets and 12,000 likes within 20 minutes of being posted at 3pm, comes after Pope Francis called for the parents of the baby to be allowed to "accompany and treat their child until the end".
The Vatican said the Pope "is following with affection and sadness the case of little Charlie Gard and expresses his closeness to his parents. For this he prays that their wish to accompany and treat their child until the end is not neglected."
A White House spokesman said: "Upon learning of baby Charlie Gard's situation, President Trump has offered to help the family in this heartbreaking situation.
"Although the President himself has not spoken to the family, he does not want to pressure them in any way, members of the administration have spoken to the family in calls facilitated by the British government.
"The President is just trying to be helpful if at all possible. Due to legal issues, we can not confirm the name of doctor or hospital where the baby could be treated in the United States."
Trump's tweet follows reports that he may drop in on one of his golf courses in Scotland during a visit to Europe this month.
Charlie, who suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage, is being cared for at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London, the Daily Mail reported.
Charlie's parents said they had been denied their final wish to be able to take their son home to die and felt 'let down' after losing their legal fight. Photo / Gard Family / AP
The little boy has been at the centre of a lengthy legal battle between his parents, who wanted him to undergo a therapy trial in the US, and specialists at the hospital who said the treatment was experimental and would not help.
On Friday a picture of the couple sleeping on either side of their son in hospital was posted on their Twitter account alongside the hashtags #jesuisCharlieGard #charliesfight #letcharliegohome.
The couple released an emotional video a day earlier saying they had been told Charlie would die on Friday.
They said they had been denied their final wish to be able to take their son home to die and felt "let down" after losing their legal fight.
The hospital later confirmed it was "putting plans in place for his care".
Charlie's plight has touched many people and the family received donations totalling more than £1.3m to take him to the US for therapy.
Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia of the Vatican's Pontifical Academy for Life issued a statement saying: "Dear Charlie, dear parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates, we are praying for you and with you."
Chris Gard and Connie Yates are spending the last days of their ten-month-old son Charlie's life with him at hospital in London. Photo / Getty
He drew criticism for saying the parents' wishes should be respected, but that they must also be helped to understand the "unique difficulty of their situation".
