TRAGEDY MIRRORS THE TRAUMA OVER BOY KEPT ALIVE FOR NINE YEARS

William is paralysed and deaf and cannot breathe or swallow unaided, nor recognise his family.

He was left brain damaged after a cerebral haemorrhage and now suffers 49 illnesses. He cannot cough on his own and is fed through a tube.

Doctors have repeatedly intervened to save his life and he depends on a portable ventilator and round-the-clock residential care. 

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His mother, Victoria, 46, of Sturminster Newton, Dorset, now believes it would be more humane to let him die naturally. She says: “He’ll never leave my thoughts, he’ll never leave my prayers, and he will never leave my heart.

“But my biggest hope is that he will take the decision away from us. Ideally, he will go to sleep and that will be it. I really do not want William to undergo any more invasive surgery.’’

Carers, however, believe he has a reasonable quality of life.

One said: “He definitely experiences happiness, he definitely experiences interest, he enjoys his routine and going to school.”

Doctors do not know how long he will live, but his mother says she wants a “gentler treatment plan” which could allow him to die naturally if he picks up another complication.