Anthony Stokes became a cause célèbre in 2013 when he was turned down for a heart transplant because of his “history of non-compliance” from juvenile delinquency to low grades to other bad habits. A public campaign led to a reversal of the decision and he received the heart transplant recently. He is now dead after going on a crime spree, including the attempted shooting of an elderly woman and running over a pedestrian.
On Tuesday, Stokes took his new heart out for a crime spree that began with a carjacking at a mall. He then kicked in the door of a home and burglarizing it. He then fired a shot at an elderly woman who was able to call police. He then took the police on a high-speed chase where he hit a pedestrian and then a pole.
At the time of the transplant controversy, the family spokesman Mark Bell objected to the doctor’s criteria and said “I guess he didn’t think Anthony was going to be a productive citizen.” The objections to the denial raised valid question of the criteria used in such cases in terms of the predictive “positive” contribution of a recipient.
While it seems the center’s “contraindications” proved prophetic in this case, there remains the question of whether doctors should make such judgments based on a recipient’s character or social record as opposed to age and health.
We should have a national campaign trying to persuade people to donate organs when they die, but no one seems to care.
If I or my family could designate the gift of organs on death, determine a worthy person who would treasure the gift and who would be a positive person….. I might….just might consider it.
But to think that my heart, kidney etc would end up wasted for these idiotic political reasons……I’d rather have my body run through a giant Cuisinart.
Yup Yup Yup, that proves it. That proves it all. And, for a moment there I was worried.
The Doctor’s opinion both medically that he wouldn’t be a good patient and (unstated but there) that he would not be a productive citizen has proved to be correct.
The precious gift of life through the death of another person, a heart transplant, was wasted on this piece of trash. Yes, trash, garbage. Other more worthy, yes productive, good people will have died because of this decision which was politically motivated. Don’t bother denying it. It was completely and totally a non medical decision coerced by o give this waste of life who should have been aborted.
The heart was given to this young man because he was Black and we all know that ALL Black lives matter more than anyone else because….slavery….black….white privilege….and…. and….. and …….everything!!!! Black lives only matter so much as what you do with them, just like anyone else. If you want your life to matter…..do something positive with it. Otherwise, you don’t matter to me. Other than the waste of the heart transplant and the fact that likely someone else died because of this ……I’m glad this guy is dead. At least he won’t hurt other people anymore.
So the doctors who knew better caved to public pressure and protests and liberal activist to do what they KNEW was wrong.
Politically correct medicine based on liberal mythology. OH….wait. We have that now it is called Obamacare, where your life is only worth what the government says it is and you only get the treatment that they want you to have and is based on politically correct myths.
What a f*cking waste.
I bet he was about to start college.
Three’s a shortage not only of hearts, but kidneys and livers. We should have a national campaign trying to persuade people to donate organs when they die, but no one seems to care. Too bad.
There’s are too few donated hearts, these things need to given to people who can really use them to live a long life. I wonder if a more deserving person ended up dead because this guy got his heart.
Here’s an ABC article from 2013 about the young man.
Physicians didn’t think that he would comply with taking his medicines, and keeping all the follow-up appointments he would need, post-transplant.
They were right.
@bettykath
True. Once this urban legend gets going I bet that Snopes.com will also figure that out, too!
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
I guess the change of heart didn’t produce a change of heart. They had it right the first time.
squeeky, What a despicable post. He-who-shall-not-be-named destroyed the heart and lungs of Trayvon Martin with one shot.
How limited is the supply of donor hearts and how long is the list of people who need a donated heart? Ie, how ‘zero sum’ was the choice so that someone else was denied the heart, directly or down the list, because this kid got it?
“He was such a good boy.”
Oh, and since we are talking about Black yutes and violence, this interesting story was on Free Republic this morning:
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2015/04/spring_break_violence_is_black_college_thing.html
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
This didn’t turn out well, but I’m sure his heart was in the right place.
Well, I am going to start my very own Urban Legend! Here goes:
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Had he lived could he have been charged with stealing the plot from the Jason Statham movie Crank?
Well, this loser proved the validity of the doctors opinion. So hopefully, we will not have any more transplants for the criminals and psychos. That will be the result of this fools actions.
He was a monster, but he had a good heart.
Were medical professionals able to save the heart to be put into a person that wanted it?
They should take a page from various European monarchs and notables and bury the heart separately.