Teen Heart Transplant Recipient Given Second Chance At Life, Dies In Police Chase
Anthony Stokes needed a heart transplant back in 2013, but was denied by the hospital because he had a “history of non-compliance“. It caused a media outrage and Stokes was given a second chance at life a week later and received a new heart. On Tuesday, Stokes died after crashing a vehicle into a pole following a high speed police chase.
According to police, Stokes had carjacked someone at the mall, broke into a home, shot at an elderly woman and lead police on a high speed car chase the ended with Stokes hitting a pedestrian and then a pole. The pedestrian has no major injuries, but Stokes died at the hospital.
In 2013, Mark Bell, the spokesman for the Stokes family, said that an Atlanta hospital denied Stokes a new heart because of low grades and his time in juvenile detention. At that time, Bell said: “The doctor made the decision that he wasn’t a good candidate because of that. I guess he didn’t think Anthony was going to be a productive citizen”. The statement from the hospital at that time stated: “Anthony is currently not a transplant candidate due to having a history of noncompliance, which is one of our center’s contraindications to listing for heart transplant.”
However, media attention lead to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta getting a new heart for Stokes and he was given a second chance at life, but that ended after a string of bad decisions this week.
