Help Amelia
Read about Amelia Rivera’s story, Kidney Transplant denied.
I cannot believe, that in this day and age, that a child is being denied a life-saving kidney transplant due to her cognitive disability (“mental retardation”). But that is exactly what is happening to little Amelia Rivera, a two-year-old little girl. She is in need of a life-saving kidney transplant, and just a few days ago, her parents were told that the transplant would not be happening because their beautiful little girl, Amelia, was ineligible due to her mental delays. Not because she was in too poor of health, not because there wasn’t an available kidney (her family has a family member match), but because she has cognitive delays.
How is any of this even a question? A child needs a transplant, and if a donor can be found, you give it to them? Mental delays or not, it’s still a child…. someone who deserves a chance at a life.
The doctor who told these parents that their child could not receive a potentially life-saving kidney transplant because she was deemed ineligible due to her mental delays (or in his words mentally retarded) should be absolutely ashamed of himself and humiliated. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia should be ashamed of themselves.
What’s even worse? This is apparently a common theme amongst a lot of hospital here in the US, and that’s just wrong in so many ways. This makes me cringe. Ashton is not classified as mentally retarded (intellectually challenged), but this makes me wonder if we ever found ourselves in a situation such as this, would he be denied for the same reason?
THIS HAS TO CHANGE! Please sign the petition located HERE, to show CHOP and everyone else that us as Americans will not stand for this.
Thank you and Good Night all!
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@sinicline2012@xanga – there is. It’s pretty standard. If someone has a poor quality of life already, they deem the sacrifice a waste.
I’m in the same box. If something were to happen to me, I would be deemed unworthy due to schizophrenia. If I were her parents, I’d just go to another country to have it done. Money talks.
The world keeps disappointing more and more…
This makes no sense to me. Is it harder for the transplanted kidney to take in her body because of cognitive deficits, or is it purely because of the doctor’s prejudice?
I wasn’t aware that the healthcare industry had the audacity and especially the right to practice discrimination.
Everyone can agree that Hitler was a bad guy, but now we’re subscribing to his policies, and that’s okay? What is wrong with these people???
Thank you for sharing our story. Please follow Mia’s updates by subscribing to her updates on the top right of this page: http://www.wolfhirschhorn.org/2012/01/amelia/brick-walls/
If the whole hospital is siding with the doctor, then there must be some sort of policy that we don’t know about.
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I just signed the petition and here’s what I put for my reason why:
Because this sets a very dangerous precedent. Think of the slippery slope argument. At what point does a child or adult not ‘qualify’ for a transplant. Who decides who is ‘mentally fit enough’.
I wonder what kind of policy is driving the decision? If the whole hospital is siding with the doctor, then there must be some sort of policy that we don’t know about. I don’t agree, but I am curious about the reasoning here.