ATLANTA (CBS46) - Demonstrators are expected to protest Emory University Hospital's denial of a kidney transplant for a two year-old boy.
A.J. Burgess, 2, was born without a functioning kidney. Burgess, who weighs just 25 pounds, was born a month early and spent 10 months in a neonatal intensive care unit.
His mother, Carmellia Burgess, has to feed him through an IV and hook him up to dialysis every day of his life. She tells CBS46 News that she believes her son is being punished because of the actions of his father.
AJ's father Anthony Dickerson was tested and proved to be the perfect match to give his son a kidney, Burgess said. However, Dickerson's arrest record apparently has become an issue for the hospital's staff.
Dickerson got out of prison on a parole violation recently and was set to go through the proper procedures and donate his kidney to his son October 3. But he went back to jail for violating his parole again for possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of or attempt to commit certain felonies. When he got out this time, everything changed.
"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.
A spokesperson for Emory released the following statement:
Emory Healthcare is committed to the highest quality of care for its patients. Guidelines for organ transplantation are designed to maximize the chance of success for organ recipients and minimize risk for living donors. Because of privacy regulations and respect for patient confidentiality, we cannot share specific information about patients.
CBS46 found the following outline of donor procedures on the website for the United Network for Organ Sharing:
You will need to answer all the questions that are asked. This includes questions about any history of “high risk” behaviors. The transplant staff will ask about your financial situation and talk about who can give you physical help and emotional support throughout the donation process. You will be asked to fully describe your reasons for wanting to donate and how it might affect your lifestyle (such as employment and family relationships). Involving your loved ones in the educational part of the evaluation process can be helpful. They can learn about the donation surgery and recovery process and support you in your decision.
A.J.'s mother said if the transplant is put off until January, it might be too late. She said her son's body is starting to fail, and he needs bladder surgery. She is hoping a petition she has set up online will bring awareness to his plight and help save her son's life.
Meanwhile, protesters will gather Thursday at 10 a.m. to try to pressure the hospital to allow Dickerson to donate his kidney to his son. CBS46 will be there and will provide new information as it becomes available.
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