Quebec boy breathing on his own after court-ordered extubation

The Quebec child who was extubated following a court ruling earlier this year is breathing on his own and will return home on Monday, according to his mother.

The Quebec child who was extubated following a court ruling earlier this year is breathing on his own and will return home on Monday, according to his mother.

"The child was extubated by order of the Court of Appeal," said mother Anne Pierre in a message sent to CTV News. "He has been extubated for two months, and by the grace of God, he breathes alone."

In June 2022, Pierre's five-year-old son fell into a coma after nearly drowning in a family pool.

After months in intensive care, doctors at the Sainte-Justine hospital in Montreal recommended removing his breathing tube so he could return home and receive physical therapy.

They said delaying the procedure could limit the chances of this happening.

His parents refused to consent unless the hospital agreed to re-intubate him if something went wrong.

But doctors said the breathing tube was doing more harm than good, arguing the child should receive end-of-life care in the case of an unsuccessful extubation.