Fifteen-year-old Anthony Stokes has less than six months to live
unless he receives an emergency heart transplant. But his family
has been told that Anthony doesn’t qualify for the transplant list
because he has a “history of non-compliance” — partly due to his
history of earning low grades and having some trouble with the
law.
“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. Hamilton explained that her
son has an enlarged heart, and a transplant is the only thing that
will help his condition.
The doctors at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta weren’t very
specific about what exactly contributed to their decision to label
Anthony as “non-compliant.” But family friends explained to
WSBTV News that they were told it’s partly because of
Anthony’s performance in school and run-ins with law
enforcement.
His family and friends don’t accept that as a valid reason to deny
the teen life-saving treatment. “We must save Anthony’s life,”
family friend Mack Major, identified as Anthony’s mentor, told CBS
Atlanta. “We don’t have a lot of time to do it, but it’s something
that must be done.”
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