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Boy born without kidneys has transplant surgery before Thanksgiving

Two-year-old A.J. Burgess with his parents, Carmellia Burgess and Anthony Dickerson.

Credit: AJC

Credit: AJC

Two-year-old A.J. Burgess with his parents, Carmellia Burgess and Anthony Dickerson.
By Ellen Eldridge
Nov 22, 2017

A Gwinnett County boy who was born without kidneys got the news Tuesday night that he would receive a deceased donor kidney.

AJ Burgess has been fighting for his life for nearly three years and his family had been working with the transplant team to allow AJ's father, Anthony Dickerson, to donate a kidney, The Atlanta Journal Constitution previously reported.

The dad was a perfect match, but concerns about his criminal history and recent arrest prevented the team from moving forward with a surgery planned for early October. After almost two months, AJ finally got the news that a deceased donor kidney was available.

Mother Carmellia Burgess rushed AJ to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston Tuesday night, attorney Mawuli Davis told the AJC.

The boy went into surgery at 7:30 a.m.

Please visit MyAJC.com for more details.

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