( CNN ) -- Joseph Maraachli , the infant who became the center of an international end-of-life debate , died peacefully in his sleep at his Windsor , Ontario , home , a spokesperson for the family said Wednesday . Widely known in the media as `` Baby Joseph , '' the 20-month-old boy spent the last several months with his family and died Tuesday afternoon . `` Obviously , it 's been a very difficult day for the family today , '' said spokeswoman Emma Fedor . `` In some ways , it was a bit of a relief for the family . '' Joseph 's family had refused to accept a recommendation by a Canadian hospital to remove the boy 's breathing tube and allow him to die . In March , the infant received a tracheotomy at a children 's hospital in St. Louis , Missouri . He was able to go home April 21 . `` By providing him with this common palliative procedure , we 've given Joseph the chance to go home and be with his family after spending so much of his young life in the hospital , '' said Dr. Robert Wilmott , chief of pediatrics for SSM Cardinal Glennon Children 's Medical Center in St. Louis . A London , Ontario , hospital where Joseph was receiving care for a progressive neurological disease refused to perform a tracheotomy , a surgical procedure in which an opening is made into the airway through an incision in the neck to allow for suction of fluid out of the lungs . In court papers , doctors in Canada said there was no hope for recovery . They would not perform a tracheotomy because they considered it to be invasive and not recommended for patients who require a long-term breathing machine . Parents Moe and Sana Maraachli refused to accept the recommendation . The Maraachlis ' daughter , Zeina , had died at home in 2002 after a tracheotomy after suffering similar complications , and the family wanted to offer the same care to their son . `` To go through it once is enough for a lifetime , to go through it twice , it 's just ... unbelievable , '' Fedor said . Joseph was `` very peaceful , in no pain whatsoever , no distress , '' when he died , Fedor said . He was buried Wednesday next to his sister . The family was thankful for those who helped and prayed for Joseph , she added . `` The heart of the issue would come down to the mix between respecting the parents ' rights ... to be in comfort of ( their ) own home , to die on God 's time , '' said Fedor . The family countered assertions that Joseph was nonresponsive , blind and deaf , she said . Instead , the boy could hear the parents ' voices and look for them , Fedor told CNN . The family believed that , after a tracheotomy , Joseph could be freed from machinery . The parents said that they , rather than physicians , should make a judgment on quality of life , Fedor said . The Maraachli case caught the attention of the group Priests for Life , which funded Joseph 's transfer and treatment at the SSM Cardinal Glennon Children 's Medical Center . That hospital deemed the procedure medically appropriate and Baby Joseph underwent a tracheotomy there on March 21 . In April , Frank Pavone , national director of Priests for Life , said he considered this a `` victory over the culture of death . '' He says `` ( Joseph ) has gained benefit from his tracheotomy , is breathing on his own , and is going home to live with his parents . '' Priests for Life is a Catholic pro-life organization that functions as a network to prevent abortion and euthanasia . The group often is noted for the graphic images depicting abortion its members and supporters use to make their case . The London Health Sciences Centre -- the hospital where Joseph was initially treated -- in March said that `` there are clearly differences in the approach of these centres to the management of end-of-life care in this tragic situation '' and that `` the medical judgments made by LHSC physicians remain unchallenged by any credible medical source . '' Nurses helped the family provide 24-hour care for Joseph in his final months . `` There was always somebody by his side , '' Fedor said . The child was on almost no medication and apparently was in no pain , Fedor said . `` When he was in the arms of his parents , you could tell , '' she said . `` He was settled when he was in their arms . ''
Joseph Maraachli suffered from a progressive neurological disease . A surgeon in London , England , refused to accept a tracheotomy tube . The patient underwent a tracheotomy at a hospital in St. Louis . ` ` Baby Joseph '' every Tuesday in his home .