The parents of Alfie, who had a degenerative brain condition, lost legal challenges that allowed the hospital to take the boy off life support on Monday.
Thomas Evans, the boy’s father, wrote on Facebook that “My gladiator lay down his shield and gained his wings. … absolutely heartbroken.”
Evans and Alfie's mother, Kate James, clashed with doctors over the child’s treatment, the BBC reported.
Alfie was first admitted to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool in December 2016 after suffering seizures. His parents wanted to fly the toddler to a hospital in Italy, but their request was rejected by doctors who said continuing treatment was “not in Alfie's best interests,” the BBC reported.
The hospital said scans showed “catastrophic degradation of his brain tissue” and that further treatment was futile and also “unkind and inhumane.”
Alfie’s parents fought the hospital’s medical staff in court for four months, but lost when the High Court ruled in favor of the hospital on Feb. 20. The decision was upheld on appeal.
Alfie was granted Italian citizenship Monday, but judges upheld a ruling preventing the boy from traveling abroad after his life support was withdrawn, the BBC reported.
Thousands of balloons were released in his memory.
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