Cradling their newborn son in their arms, Charlie Gard’s parents have finally found happiness again.
Devastated by Charlie’s death and drained by their heart-breaking legal fight for his life, Connie Yates and Chris Gard feared they might never have another chance to be parents.
But the couple bravely decided to try for another child – and today they are ready to introduce Oliver Gard to the world.
Neither parent can take their eyes off Oliver, already known as Ollie, who was born on August 5 weighing 8lb 6oz.
His every gurgle, every expression holds them transfixed and they told how his arrival has finally helped them to heal.
Connie Yates and Chris Gard feared they might never have another chance to be parents. But on August 5 Oliver, affectionately known as Ollie, was born (pictured with his mother)
Connie, 34, said: ‘It’s like we can smile again now and truly mean it, rather than just plastering on a smile to get through the day.’
Her fiancé Chris, 36, said: ‘Losing Charlie was like someone had thrown a hand grenade at us and our lives.
‘It felt like part of us died with him, like all our smiles had gone, and it was impossible to imagine we would really be happy again.
‘Ollie has lit up our lives. We are so, so lucky.’
Rewind three years and ‘lucky’ was the last word that would have come to mind.
Connie and Chris were caught at the centre of a heart-wrenching legal and medical fight over their beloved first child Charlie, who suffered from a rare genetic condition.
Charlie Matthew William Gard was born healthy on August 4, 2016, but became ill when he was two months old.
He was admitted to hospital in October that year, and remained in hospital for the remaining nine months of his life, until he was transferred to a hospice.
The pair became stuck in a heart-wrenching legal battle over their beloved first son Charlie (pictured) two months after he was born on August 4, 2016
Doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London said his condition was incurable and wanted to withdraw his life-support.
But Connie and Chris fought desperately to be allowed to take him to the US for experimental treatment and took their case to the High Court and the Supreme Court.
Tragically, as the case raged on Charlie’s body grew weaker and the couple were finally forced to concede that further treatment was no longer possible.
Charlie died in a hospice on July 28, 2017, just a week before his first birthday.
Connie and Chris marked the third anniversary of his death this year with a butterfly release at his graveside.
One of the delicate insects refused to fly, so they returned a week later and released it to celebrate what would have been his fourth birthday.
And while they were stood at the graveside, Connie felt her first contraction – the first sign that Charlie’s younger brother was ready to be born.
Connie said: ‘I wasn’t due yet and the contraction wasn’t painful, so I thought it was Braxton Hicks [also known as false labour pains].
‘They carried on but they still didn’t hurt, so I just ignored them.’
Chris said: ‘The timing was incredible. Charlie was born at 9.44am on August 4, 2016, and Connie’s contractions started just before 10am on August 4, 2020.
‘Things like that make me think Charlie has a hand in what’s happening, that he’s still looking out for us.’
Their one-bedroom flat in Bedfont, south west London, is filled with mementoes of Charlie
Connie was scheduled for a caesarean a week later, but by the following day her contractions were stronger and more frequent so they went to hospital.
Once they arrived at the Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea specialist maternity hospital in West London, a check-up convinced doctors that Connie was in labour and should be taken for a caesarean immediately.
She was given an epidural but then saw her unborn baby’s heartbeat suddenly disappear from the monitor.
Connie said: ‘I’m not sure what happened, as I could still feel the baby moving. I didn’t say anything to Chris because I didn’t want to worry him.
‘But the doctors were so fast, they were wonderful. The whole team at Queen Charlotte’s were amazing from the moment I got the positive pregnancy test.
‘They went above and beyond for us, from the geneticist who carried out all the tests to the midwife who stayed on after her shift ended so she could be with us. They were all wonderful and we are so grateful.’
Connie and Chris are full of praise for the care they received at Queen Charlotte’s, but their experiences with Charlie have made them understandably wary.
Connie, a care worker, said: ‘Because we were in an intensive care ward with Charlie for so long, we have seen all the things that can go wrong. Not just for us but for the other families who were there.
‘We’re trying not to worry, and to enjoy this time with Ollie, but it’s natural to be anxious.’
Charlie’s younger brother Oliver stood a one-in-four chance of being born with the same condition, RRM2B, which saps energy from muscles and organs
Charlie suffered from RRM2B mitochondrial depletion syndrome, a rare genetic condition which sapped energy from his muscles and organs.
His younger brother stood a one-in-four chance of being born with the same devastating illness, but tests in the womb showed he was free of the syndrome.
Inevitably, despite the tests, his parents worry that they could face tragedy again.
But they are determined to cherish every moment with Ollie, and to give him the carefree, happy childhood that Charlie never got to experience.
Chris, a postman, said: ‘We never got to hear Charlie laugh, to say his first words or to see him take his first steps, or go to school.
‘We have all that still to come with Ollie. We are just in awe that he’s alive and he’s here. It’s really magical.
‘Even when he cries and we’ve had no sleep, we don’t mind. Charlie was on a ventilator for so long that it was really rare to hear him cry at all.’
Connie added: ‘We’re absolutely loving every second, every cry, every moment and even every dirty nappy.
‘We appreciate him more than we ever would have if it wasn’t for losing Charlie.’
Their one-bedroom flat in Bedfont, South West London, is filled with mementoes of Charlie, including photographs, sketches and casts of his tiny hands and feet.
When they brought Ollie home last week, they immediately showed him a photograph of Charlie to introduce him to his big brother.
But they are adamant that Ollie will never be just ‘Charlie Gard’s brother’.
Connie said: ‘Ollie will be his own person, and we don’t want him to feel like he’s a replacement for Charlie. We will always tell him about Charlie, and when the time is right we will explain everything to him.
‘The grief of losing a child is different to anything else. Time doesn’t make a difference.
‘You learn to live without them but you never forget. We will never forget Charlie, he will always be in our lives.’
Chris said: ‘It is bittersweet because obviously we would love Ollie to meet his older brother. Our two beautiful boys.
‘But it feels like Charlie is here with us. There was a time when I was worried I might not love another baby the way I loved Charlie.
‘That feels stupid now. As soon as I saw Ollie all those fears disappeared and I realised you can love again.
‘We really are so lucky. Some parents who lose children never get this chance to have another child.
‘But just because we have been this blessed, it doesn’t mean we will forget about Charlie, or that we will stop campaigning in his name.’
The couple raised £1.3million to help Charlie, which they have now given to the Charlie Gard Foundation, set up to help other families.
They are also committed to a campaign for Charlie’s Law, to give parents more involvement in life-and-death decisions if their child is seriously ill.