Bob CollinsIf there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that you can rarely count on a 15-year-old.
The fact almost cost Anthony Stokes his life.
The young man from the Atlanta area has an enlarged heart, a diagnosis that was made only four weeks ago when he complained of shortness of breath and chest pains.
He needs a heart transplant. But he wasn’t going to get one until his mother, Melencia Hamilton, went on NBC’s Today Show today to explain how the transplant business works.
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta declined to put her son on the transplant list because he has a history of “noncompliance” when it comes to taking medications and keeping appointments. She thinks, though, it has more to do with his scrapes with the law.
Not long after the interview ran this morning, the hospital relented and said because of his weakened heart, he’ll get a spot on the transplant list.
A family spokesman said the hospital didn’t give a reason for the change of heart.
He’s a young boy,” Hamilton said. “He’s going to make mistakes, but I still think he deserves a second chance.”
