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​Dad Prevented From Donating Kidney To Save His Two-Year-Old Son's Life

​Dad Prevented From Donating Kidney To Save His Two-Year-Old Son's Life

Anthony Dickerson, from Gwinnett County, Georgia, has been prevented from donating his kidney to his ill son due to his criminal record

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

An American dad has been prevented from donating a kidney to save the life of his two-year-old son despite being a 'perfect' match for transplant surgery.

Toddler AJ Dickerson was born prematurely without functioning kidneys and has been getting increasingly ill.

However, hospital staff in Atlanta, Georgia have postponed the surgery for three months due to dad Anthony Dickerson's criminal record, leading to calls for the approval process to be sped up.

"[AJ] has been fighting for his life since the day he came into this world," said mother Carmellia Burgess, who acts as her son's sole carer.

AJ Dickerson
AJ Dickerson

Credit: GoFundMe

"His father is walking around with what can save his life right next to him every day."

Dickerson, who was recently arrested on suspicion of possessing a weapon, violating his parole for a previous offence, was due to donate his kidney to AJ via transplant surgery at Emory Hospital on 3 October.

However, Emory Hospital staff cancelled the surgery, saying they want to find out whether Dickerson is complying with the terms of his parole before going ahead with the operation.

"The Living Donor Transplant Team at Emory has asked Mr. Dickerson for evidence of compliance from his parole officer for the next three months," Emory Hospital said in a letter to the couple.

"We will re-evaluate Mr. Dickerson in January 2018 after receipt of his completed documentation."

Emory Hospital
Emory Hospital

Emory Hospital, Georgia. Credit: PA

Despite the hospital saying that the operation may be rescheduled in January, AJ's parents worry that by then it will be too late to help him.

According to the family, AJ has suffered strokes in recent months and the two-year-old is currently battling a peritonitis infection.

"What do he [AJ] got to do with the mistakes I made? Nothing," Mr Dickerson said in a statement.

The family have created a GoFundMe page to help Burgess cover the costs of staying home to take care of AJ.

"Our family is taking AJ to the emergency room and we asks for your prayers as Baby AJ battles a peritonitis infection," reads the appeal. "AJ's spirit is strong but his body is not.

"Please help. His father is a match."

The family are looking for a medical institution in Georgia open to speeding up the process of re-approving Mr Dickerson and extracting the kidney.

Burgess has suggested that the nearby Henrietta Egleston Hospital for Children, also in Atlanta, is willing to perform the life-saving procedure.

Words: Chris Ogden

Featured Image Credit: GoFundMe

Topics: AJ, US News