Update 24/11:
A mother Gwinnett County whose toddler has been waiting for a kidney transplant his whole life was gifted a car on Tuesday —just hours before a kidney donor was found.
Carmellia Burgess brought her son home from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta on Nov. 8, where he’d been since October. 29.
The family had expected to wait for the news that his father, Anthony Dickerson, would be permitted to donate a kidney after a battle with the transplant team over his criminal history.
AJ battled a deadly infection, contracted pneumonia, had surgery to implant a new port for his dialysis treatments and received blood transfusions before he was released from the hospital, Channel 2 Action News previously reported.
The boy’s mother didn’t have a car to get AJ to his hemodialysis appointments three times a week, she posted on Facebook.
That trouble ended on Tuesday, when actor Tyler Perry gifted Burgess with a new car.
The family later learned that a deceased donor kidney will be given to AJ on Wednesday, attorney Mawuli Davis said.
“Father and mother are there excited and are being supported by Mr. Dickerson’s mentor, David Manuel, and Pastor Derrick Rice from Sankofa Church.
Update 17/10 : The boy was rushed to the hospital on Sunday morning for peritonitis, an abdominal infection, his family said on their GoFundMe page. A family attorney confirmed that A.J. was hospitalized and is listed in critical but stable condition.
Read the original article below:
The family says that their only option now is to get on the kidney transplant wait list — but that could take a long time, and they are desperate for help.
Completely Life-changing surgery has been put on hold for a 2-year-old boy.
His Mothers says it’s all because of red tape between the hospital and police and she is fighting to change that.
Her son has no kidneys. Sadly, he was born without them.
A.J. does have a willing donor who is a perfect match but… he is left waiting. A.J.’s Father, Anthony Dickerson, is a perfect match.
“That’s all I ever wanted — was a son,” Anthony said. “And I finally got him, and he’s in this situation.”
Anthony was scheduled to donate his left kidney to A.J., who is heir miracle baby. Mom Carmella Burgess was so excited.
“Two steps closer to giving him a kidney and we got shut down, basically,” she said.
Things started to go downhill after Dickerson was arrested for violating his probation last month. He was charged with possession of a firearm.
A letter he says Emory Hospital sent to the Gwinnett County Jail states, “Mr. Dickerson is currently in custody for a parole violation. If Mr. Dickerson could be escorted to Emory for blood work and a pre-operative appointment tomorrow, September 29, we will be able to continue with the scheduled surgery.”
Dickerson said that the hospital’s tone changed once he was released.
“The Living Donor Transplant Team at Emory as asked Mr. Dickerson for evidence of compliance from his parole officer for the next three months. We will re-evaluate Mr. Dickerson in January 2018 after receipt of his completed documentation.”
The family says that a probation violation shouldn’t stop the process from happening– especially if Dickerson is healthy and clean.
“It’s about my son,” Carmella said. “He’s been through a lot. It’s like we’ve been waiting on this. And Dad making a mistake shouldn’t affect what he wants to do with our son.”
Emory Healthcare says they cannot answer specific questions because of patient confidentiality.
“Guidelines for organ transplantation are designed to maximize the chance of success for organ recipients and minimize the risk for living donors,” the hospital said.
WZZM reportedly asked the hospital a general question about how someone being arrested impacts the possibility of donating a kidney — and they would not answer the question.
Dickerson says that he does not want his arrest to impact his son’s chances at living a normal life.
“What do he got to do with the mistakes I made? Nothing,” Anthony said.
“He’s only two,” Carmellia said. “He don’t deserve this. We’ve been waiting so long for this.”
A.J. had suffered a stroke two months ago, and needs constant care. He needs many doctor’s visits, and now he’s being told to wait — even while his perfect match sits beside him.
“They’re making this about Dad,” Carmella said. “It’s about our 2-year-old son.”
Image credit: wzzm13
The family says that their only option now is to get on the kidney transplant wait list — but that could take a long time, and they are desperate for help.
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