A mum has shared her joy after a court ruled her dying son can get a kidney transplant.
William Verden, 17, is on dialysis and suffers from steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome, and a treatment dispute was launched.
His mum Ami McLennan, 45, from Lancaster, made an appeal for a donor for an operation that is said to have a 50 per cent prospect of success.
Last week she told the court that her “beautiful boy”, who has autism and ADHD, deserved a chance of life, LancsLive reports.
However, medics at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, where William is treated, argued the chance of disease recurrence from a transplant would be nearer 100 per cent.
They would not agree to a transplant because he would suffer psychological and physical harm from post-operation sedation and ventilation to prevent him from pulling outlines and catheters, they said.
If the disease recurs then a procedure known as plasma exchange be carried out.
It has a 75 per cent success rate, but William would need to be sedated and ventilated for a minimum of 14 days.
The court heard that William's life expectancy on dialysis alone is 12 months and could be a matter of weeks without it.
If a transplant was successful, then William could live a further 15 to 20 years before needing another one, the court heard.
With both parties in disagreement, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust brought the case to ask a judge to rule on the matter.
The Court of Protection ruled on Tuesday that a transplant was in the teenager’s best interests.
Mrs Justice Arbuthnot said: “Transplant is not futile.
"Although the chances of that lead to an increase in William’s suffering in the short and medium-term, it has the commensurate benefit which is there is a chance for William of long-term survival.”
William's mum Amy said: “We adore William and all we want is for him to live the best life he can. At present, I firmly believe that this won’t be possible unless he can receive the care he desperately needs and deserves.
“Bringing a legal case isn’t something we ever wanted or thought we would need to do, however, William’s situation is critical and could mean the difference between life and death. All we have wanted was for him to be added to the transplant list and his treatment to be continued until a donor is found. I feel it’s the minimum he deserves and what any mum would do for their child.
“As a family, we still struggle to comprehend why William’s case has gotten to this stage but this judgment is about trying to look to the future. What’s happened is in the past and we now need to focus on trying to find the crucial donor who can provide William with the best chance in life.
“We continue to be amazed by how many people have been touched by William’s story and remain ever so thankful to those who have expressed a wish to potentially become a donor or who have contacted us with messages of support.”
Liz Davis the specialist medical treatment disputes and human rights lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Amy, said after the hearing: “Naturally as a parent all Amy wants is to offer her son the best chance in life; she strongly believes a transplant will give William this.
"This is an incredibly sensitive case which has prompted a really important discussion not only about William’s care but also about the wider issue of providing medical treatment to people with autism and learning disabilities.
“While the last few days and listening to the evidence has been tough for Amy and the rest of the family it was something they felt they had to do to try and safeguard William’s future. Strong legal arguments were put forward as to what is in William’s best interests.
“We’re pleased that the judge has ruled in William’s favour and understandably Amy and the family are overjoyed.
"We’ll continue to support Amy at this emotional time as the family now turn their attention to trying to find a suitable donor for William.”
