Mother of Amelia Rivera, Mentally Disabled Girl, Holds Hope for Kidney Transplant at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Chrissy Rivera, the mother of the 3-year-old girl who was initially told by a doctor at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia that he would not recommend a kidney transplant for her mentally disabled daughter, is “hopeful” the hospital will help after an outcry of indignation online.
More than 37,000 online supporters petitioned after Rivera had blogged about a doctor who called her daughter “mentally retarded” and said he would not recommend transplantation.
Rivera met with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia doctors Friday to see if Amelia “Mia” Rivera, who has Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, would be eligible for a kidney. It is up to a larger transplantation committee to decide if the girl qualifies.
“They are moving us through the steps,” said Rivera, a 35-year-old New Jersey high school teacher who has two other children, ages 11 and 6. “It is not a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ at this point. But, yes, I am hopeful.”
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia had no immediate comment on these developments.
Mia’s complex genetic disorder results in severe mental and physical impairments, and specialists have said that without a transplant, Mia would die within six months to a year.
“We had a positive meeting with the nephrologist and the head of nephrology and nursing,” said Rivera. “They took us through the steps and told us the risks. No decision has been made, but it’s a process … that anybody has to go through.
“I didn’t see any red flags at the meeting,” she said. The Riveras will meet again with doctors from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in March to review the girl’s case.
In the meantime, Mia is “doing very well,” said her mother. “She is very healthy.”
The little girl’s plight received national media attention when supporters petitioned the hospital through Change.org, which successfully battled Bank of America over its $5 debit card fee, and Verizon over its online payment fee.