The University of California-San Francisco has now agreed to give Jesus N. a kidney transplant. The hospital originally denied surgery for Jesus N. once they found out he was an undocumented immigrant and said they could not operate on him because he would not be able to receive adequate aftercare.

Despite the hospital saying they wouldn't operate on him because he was an undocumented immigrant, they have now changed their minds, giving Jesus N. hope for the future. The hospital said it was following their policy to ensure that patients have the proper health insurance necessary to receive post-surgery care.

The hospital said that follow-up care for transplant patients is critical. If patients do not receive proper follow-up care, they may end up rejecting the donated organ and become less healthy than they were on dialysis.

The hospital issued a statement saying that it regretted the misunderstanding and they will review its processes to ensure better communication with patients. The statement also added that they do not discriminate against illegal or undocumented immigrants.

The hospital's decision to operate on Jesus N. came after a petition on Change.org received 130,000 signatures supporting Jesus N.'s surgery. The petition organizer then took it to the hospitals kidney transplant center and asked the doctors to reconsider their decision.

Jesus N. is back on the organ donor list and is expected to be on the top of the list within the next three to six months.

Despite receiving massive support for this case, immigration reform advocates say that preference should be given to legal residents for organ donation. The Federation for American Immigration Reform stated that "it is responsible to give preference to people in similar circumstances if they're citizens and legal residents of the United States."

Source: ABC News, "Dying Dad to Get Kidney Transplant Despite Undocumented Immigration Status," Ashley Jennings, Feb. 8, 2012