2-Year-Old Denied Kidney From Dad Admitted to Hospital

2-Year-Old Denied Kidney From Dad Admitted to Hospital
A.J. Burgess. (GoFundMe)
Simon Veazey
10/30/2017
Updated:
10/31/2017

The 2-year-old boy denied a kidney transplant from his father has been admitted to the emergency room to treat an infection.

A.J. Burgess was born prematurely without any kidneys. His father, Anthony Dickerson, is a perfect donor match, but the hospital is currently refusing to carry out the transplant operation due to issues surrounding a probation violation.

On Sunday Oct 29. baby A.J. was rushed to Emory Hospital, in Atlanta, with an abdominal infection, reported Fox news.

“Today has not been a good day for baby A.J. or the family. But they remain hopeful, strong in spirit even as his body weakens,” said attorney Mawuli Davis, according to WBIR.

“The family is asking for people of all faith traditions to be in prayer today for baby A.J.. His spirit is strong but his body is weakening.”

The hospital in Georgia has said its decision to refuse to carry out a transplant operation will be re-evaluated in January 2018.

Dickerson wants to give a kidney to his son, but doctors at Emory Hospital said they won’t perform the transplant operation because his situation would put him at risk. He served time after violating his probation and was also was charged with possession of a firearm.

Guidelines on organ donation require hospitals to minimize health risk for living donors, noted Emory Hospital previously, but declined to discuss the specifics of Dickerson’s case.

“That’s all I ever wanted was a son,” Dickerson was quoted as saying by local media outlet WGCL-TV. “And I finally got him, and he’s in this situation.”

An operation for A.J. was slated for Oct. 3, but then, a hospital official sent his mother, Carmellia Burgess, a letter saying that it would be delayed until it showed Dickerson could comply with his parole conditions for three months.

“The lady said we need your parole information and your probation info. He said ‘Why?’ We need you to be on good behavior for three to four months before you can give your son the kidney. And January 2018 we will think about re-evaluating you basically,” said Burgess, according to Fox.

A petition created by Burgess requesting that Emory Hospital “allow Anthony to donate his kidney to his son” has gained over 52,000 signatures.

A.J.’s mother is also appealing for financial help via crowdfunding site, GoFundMe. “[A.J.] has been fighting for his life since the day he came into this world. Due to this I have been unable to keep a stable job because of numerous doctor’s [sic] appointments and the smallest thing causing him to end up back and forth to the hospital,” writes Burgess on the page, which was set up on Oct. 16.

The messages posted by donors offer more than financial support and encouragement, with pointers for legal assistance and even offers of potential donations.

“I went through the psychological, health screening, and went in to see if I was a match for my friend’s Dad,” says one message. “He ended up receiving a kidney a week before my surgery. I am A+ and all of my labs are already done. They could probably just send the results. Contact me.”

An Emory spokeswoman Janet Christenbury said they can’t comment on the transplant or Dickerson’s situation.

“Guidelines for organ transplantation are designed to maximize the chance of success for organ recipients and minimize risk for living donors,” she said in a statement. “Transplant decisions regarding donors are made based on many medical, social, and psychological factors.”

Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office said that it had nothing to do with the delay in the boy’s transplant surgery, and worked to make arrangements for Dickerson to get an early release for the transplant, according to AJC.com.

Simon Veazey is a UK-based journalist who has reported for The Epoch Times since 2006 on various beats, from in-depth coverage of British and European politics to web-based writing on breaking news.
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