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UPDATE: Wednesday, 12:30 PM EST

Anthony Stokes is being given a second chance at life. The hospital that first denied him a heart transplant has put him on the list to finally receive one.

According to Think Progress:

On Tuesday, hospital officials reversed course. They did not explain why they had changed their minds, but they indicated that Anthony would be one of the first in line for a heart transplant because his condition is so serious. “We met with hospital officials about 30 minutes ago,” family spokesman Mark Bell told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday afternoon. “After reviewing the situation, they said Anthony would be placed on the list for a heart transplant and that he would be first in line, due to his weakened heart condition.”

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Anthony Stokes seems like an ordinary teenager. But the 15-year-old has a very unordinary condition that has given him only six months to live: An enlarged heart.

But Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston is refusing to put Anthony on the heart transplant list, claiming the boy doesn’t qualify for the procedure. Why?

A history of non-compliance.

“They said they don’t have any evidence that he would take his medicine or that he would go to his follow-ups,” said Melencia Hamilton, Anthony’s mother.

But something else is amiss. According to WBSTV, keepers of the nation’s transplant list have strict guidelines about who qualifies, and while doctors didn’t specify the reason, friends and family are telling the media it’s because Anthony had behavioral issues in the past.

In other words, the sick teenager might die because of his previous run-ins with the law and his low grades.

“The non-compliance is fabricating, because they don’t want to give him a heart,” family friend Mack Major told Thomas. “This is unacceptable because he must lose his life because of a non-compliance.”

“They’ve given him a death sentence,” said Christine Young Brown, president of the Newton Rockdale County SCLC.

But the hospital spokesperson is suggesting that that’s not true. In fact, they care immensely about Anthony’s health, but cite the strict guidelines they must follow.

“The well-being of our patients is always our first priority. We are continuing to work with this family and looking at all options regarding this patient’s health care. We follow very specific criteria in determining eligibility for a transplant of any kind.”

Specific criteria that deems a child ineligible to live a full life because of bad grades? We wish Anthony and his family the best and support them in the fight to save their son’s life.

SOURCE: WSBTV