Donor found for toddler born without kidneys; Tyler Perry buys mother car

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia mother whose toddler has been waiting for a kidney transplant his whole life was given a car on Tuesday — hours before a kidney donor was found.

Carmellia Burgess of Gwinnett County brought her son home from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta on Nov. 8, where he’d been since Oct. 29.

The family expected to wait for the news that his father, Anthony Dickerson, would be permitted to donate a kidney after a battle with the transplant team over his criminal history.

>> On AJC.com: Toddler heads home from hospital to wait for kidney transplant

AJ battled a potentially deadly infection, contracted pneumonia, had surgery to implant a new port for his dialysis treatments and received blood transfusions before he was released from the hospital, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.

But his mother didn’t have a car to get AJ to his hemodialysis appointments three times a week, she posted on Facebook.

That trouble ended Tuesday, when actor Tyler Perry gave Burgess a new car.

>> See her Facebook post here

OMGG..IM SOO OVERJOYED😅..I WAS IN TEARS..THANK YOU TYLER PERRY(MADEA) FOR BLESSING/BUYING MY KIDS&&I A NEW CAR🙌🏾..WE ARE FOREVER GRATEFUL🙌🏾..I LOVE YOU I LOVE I LOVE YOU😘😘 #BLESSED‼️#KIDNEY4AJ

Posted by Mellia Burgess on Tuesday, November 21, 2017

The family later learned a deceased donor kidney will be given to AJ on Wednesday, attorney Mawuli Davis said.

“Father and mother are there excited and are being supported by Mr. Dickerson’s mentor, David Manuel, and Pastor Derrick Rice from Sankofa Church.

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