The devastated parents of sick baby boy Charlie Gard are to begin the latest step in their legal battle to keep him alive.
Nine-month-old Charlie was at the centre of a high-profile court row between doctors in charge of his care at Great Ormond Street Hospital and his parents.
Medics believe his life-support treatment should be withdrawn and replaced with palliative care but Charlie's west London parents want to take him to a hospital in the US for treatment.
Last month a judge at London’s High Court ruled in the hospital’s favour, allowing doctors to withdraw life support treatment for Charlie, who suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage.
But today Charlie’s parents, postman Chris Gard and Connie Yates, both from Bedfont, will appear at London’s Appeal Court in a bid to overturn the previous judge’s ruling.
Miss Yates told the MailOnline: “We were devastated by the result of the last hearing.
“But somehow Chris and I have pulled together and picked ourselves up as a family. We had to for Charlie’s sake.
“Charlie is still strong and stable. He is growing more beautiful by the day and we knew we couldn’t just give up on him.”
The couple have now hired a new firm of lawyers, Harris Da Silva Solicitors, to fight last month's ruling.
Mr Justice Francis made the court decision with the “heaviest of hearts” that life-support treatment should stop after hearing evidence in the Family Division of the High Court and visiting baby Charlie in hospital.
Charlie, who was born on August 4 last year, has a form of mitochondrial disease, a condition which causes progressive muscle weakness and brain damage.
An online fundraising page set up by Miss Yates has now raised more than £1.3 million.
