A 2-year-old Georgia boy can’t get the kidney he needs because his father violated his probation.
A.J. Burgess was born a month early and without kidneys, Atlanta-based CBS station WGCL reported. His father, Anthony Dickerson, was a perfect match to donate one of his kidneys. But after Dickerson served time in prison for violating probation, Emory Hospital in Atlanta reportedly refused to perform the surgery.
Dickerson was prepared to donate his kidney in early October after being released from prison. But he returned to jail due to a parole violation for possessing a firearm “during the commission of or attempt to commit certain felonies,” WGCL reports.
Emory hospital told the family that Dickerson had to be on good behavior for three to four months before he could donate his kidney and that they will re-evaluate him in 2018, according to the report.
The hospital could not comment on specific patients’ cases. But Janet Christenbury, director of media relations, told the Daily News that guidelines for organ transplantation are meant “to maximize the chance of success for organ recipients and minimize risk for living donors.”
“Transplant decisions regarding donors are made based on many medical, social and psychological factors,” she said.
A.J.’s mother Carmella worries that waiting until 2018 may be too late for her young son. She told CBS news that A.J. needs bladder surgery and his body is failing.
The family’s other option is for A.J. to join the kidney transplant waiting list — but that could take years. The National Kidney Foundation said once a patient is on the waitlist, it takes three to five years on average to get a transplant, but children get priority.
