A.J. Burgess, a 2-year-old boy born without functional kidneys, is in need of a transplant. Anthony Dickerson, the boy’s father is a perfect match, and was prepared to undergo transplant surgery. That was until he was arrested for violating his parole.
Mr.Dickerson was “in possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of or attempt to commit certain felonies,” according to WGCL-TV. Though he has been released from prison, the hospital will not perform the needed surgery until his parole officer gives the okay.
We’re not talking a quick phone call, this could take three to four months—the hospital wants to revisit the issue in January. Much like all bureaucracies, the clock continues, time is lost, irrationality ensues, and lives may be lost. There is no guarantee that the 2-year-old boy will live that long. He has to undergo dialysis every day. His body is failing. He has to have bladder surgery. He needs a kidney now, and a highly motivated donor—his father—is willing to give him one.
You have a father who’s willing to discard his own body for his son – something that any good father would do, yet his criminal record is preventing him from performing that sacrifice. What dad’s criminal record has to do with it is anyone’s guess. The hospital has declined to answer reporters’ questions, citing patient privacy laws.
Anthony Dickerson hasn’t made the best decisions in life, but should his son be sacrificed at the alter of bureaucratic regulation for the sins of his father? Dickerson is trying to do something positive, and the hospital won’t let him, primarily because he was involved with a weapon when he shouldn’t have been.
Burgess’s mother has set up a GoFundMe page for him here.
CBS46 News
