Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Atlanta teen can now have heart transplant


Anthony Stokes, 15, is in dire need of a heart transplant and recently made the news because he was denied a spot on the transplant waiting list because of "non-compliance." Now his family says doctors at a Georgia hospital have changed their minds.

Anthony has an enlarged heart and has been given six months to live, according to media outlets. But doctors told Stokes's family they wouldn't put him on the transplant list because of his history of non-compliance. This means a patient hasn't shown that he or she can follow medical directions, taking medicine or showing up to follow-up appointments. The teen's mother Melencia Hamilton said she knows he will comply with all of the hospital's rules because he wants to live.

Hamilton thought doctors made the decision to deny Stokes a spot on the transplant list because of his previous low grades and trouble with the law. A spokeswoman at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, where Stokes is receiving treatment, said some misinformation was circulating and declined to comment on specifics of his case, citing patient privacy rules. The hospital released a statement Monday saying it was continuing to work with the family to explore its options.

Let's hope Stokes gets on the transplant list and receive the heart he so desperately needs.

  

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