Anthony Stokes has been given a second chance at life. The 15-year-old Atlanta student is recovering after undergoing a five-hour surgery and receiving a new heart.
Two weeks ago, Stokes was told by doctors at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston that he could die in three to six months if he didn’t get a transplant.
However, the doctors would not put Stokes on the heart transplant list because of poor behavior and resulting low grades, as expressed by his mother. In a letter sent to Stokes’ family, hospital officials wrote, “The decision was made that Anthony is currently not a transplant candidate due to having a history of non-compliance. As we discussed today with Anthony’s mother, we will not place Anthony on the heart transplant waiting list at this time due to this decision.”
Doctors never revealed to his parents why they believed he was under that category of “non-compliance.”
However, due to tremendous pressure aimed at the hospital for its decision, the doctors decided to put Stokes on the transplant list. The teen suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy, which causes the heart to fail to pump enough blood.
