Doctors at an Atlanta children’s hospital refused to add 15-year-old Anthony Stokes, who needs a heart transplant because he has an enlarged heart, to the transplant list.
The guidelines for the transplant list tend to be very strict. The doctors had reservations about placing Stokes on the list because he has a history of bad grades, non-compliance with medication, and minor legal troubles.
“They said they don’t have any evidence that he would take his medicine or that he would go to his follow-ups,” Melencia Hamilton, Anthony’s mother, told WSBTV News.
The hospital’s initial decision sparked outrage in the Atlanta community.
“They've given him a death sentence,” Christine Young Brown, president of the Newton Rockdale County Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), told WSBTV, Huffington Post reports.
The hospital issued a statement to the local press.
“The well-being of our patients is always our first priority. We are continuing to work with this family and looking at all options regarding this patient's health care. We follow very specific criteria in determining eligibility for a transplant of any kind,” hospital spokesperson Patty Gregory told WBSTV News .
"We must save Anthony's life. We don't have a lot of time to do it, but it's something that must be done," Mack Major, Stokes' mentor, told CBS Atlanta.