From: "Karen Corby"
Date: 2012 ʻAukake 17 16:13:11 GMT-05:00
Subject: My son's new heart
My son will die without a heart transplant, but the hospital says he can't have one -- because he's autistic. 
Elyssa -
My son, Paul, will die without a heart transplant. But the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania refuses to put him on the transplant list -- because he's autistic.
Paul is only 23, and he's amazing. He was diagnosed with a deadly heart condition four years ago, but he battles through it with a smile. He's smart and creative -- we just self-published a story he wrote, and he's working on a sequel. He loves his nephews. And the whole family loves him.
I don't know how to tell my son that his doctors refuse to give him the operation that could save his life.
I promised Paul that I would fight for him with every breath, no matter what it takes. But I'm afraid my voice alone isn't enough. I started a petition on Change.org asking the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania to put my son on the transplant list -- will you sign?
Paul's doctor says one of the reasons he doesn't qualify for a transplant is that he can't name all the medications he's on. This is ridiculous, because Paul takes 19 medications. My son has faced discrimination because of his autism all his life, but this time, that discrimination could kill him.
I was devastated when I found out the hospital wouldn't help Paul -- it was the worst moment any mother could imagine. But then I read about another mom who got her mentally disabled daughter on the list for a life-saving kidney transplant after more than 50,000 people signed her petition on Change.org. That's what inspired me to start my petition for Paul. I know that if enough people sign my petition, the hospital will give my son a chance to survive.
Thank you,
Karen Corby
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