( CNN ) -- Joseph Maraachli , the infant whose family refused to accept a recommendation by a Canadian hospital to remove the boy 's breathing tube and allow him to die , is now breathing on his own without the aid of a mechanical ventilator . The family flew back to their home in Windsor , Ontario , on Thursday , one month after receiving a tracheotomy at a children 's hospital in St. Louis . `` 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 . The 15-month-old , widely known in the media as `` Baby Joseph , '' became the center of an international end-of-life debate when a London , Ontario hospital where he was receiving care for a progressive neurological disease refused to insert a tracheotomy , a surgical procedure in which an opening is made into the airway through an incision in the neck and allows 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 . The family refused to accept the recommendation . The Maraachlis ' daughter , Zeina , had died at home in 2002 with a tracheotomy after suffering similar complications , and the family wanted to offer the same care to their son . 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 . Frank Pavone , national director of Priests for Life , said he considers 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 which functions as a network to prevent abortion and euthanasia . They are often noted for the graphic images depicting abortion they use to make their case . The London Health Sciences Centre -- the hospital where Maraachli was initially treated -- responded on March 23 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 . '' On Thursday , the hospital said it `` has no new comments from those already provided in our previous media statements . '' After arriving in Canada on Thursday morning , the child was examined by a team of physicians at the Windsor Regional Hospital to ensure no complications or infections resulted from the flight . According to the hospital 's president and CEO , David Musyj , the Maraachlis are prepared to take care of their son , but they also will be provided round-the-clock nursing care in their home . A team of community care nurses will alternate shifts staying with the family . They will take the lead on daily requirements , to include cleaning the trach , tube feeding and administering anti-anxiety medications . The nurses will also monitor his heart rate , suction secretions that build up in his lungs and provide oxygen as needed . According to Musyj , the 24-hour nursing care , medications and all the equipment are provided free of charge under Canada 's universal health care system . In the United States , hospice care is underutilized even though it tends to be less expensive than hospitalization and provides more comfort to the patient . Estimates find approximately 60 % of all deaths occur in the hospital , yet most patients express a preference to die at home . It is unclear at this point just how much time the Maraachlis have left with their son . In a phone conversation , Pavone said Joseph 's symptoms are much more benign than those suffered by his sister . `` It 's really an unpredictable condition , '' he said . `` Our mission to save Baby Joseph was never based on any prediction of the future , but rather on the value of his life here and now . ''
Ontarario suffers from a progressive neurological disease . A hospital in St. Louis , Joseph Maraachli refused to insert a tracheotomy tube . In March his parents took him to London , helped by an anti-euthenasia group . He received a tracheotomy at Maraachlis .