A 12-year-old Indiana girl was denied a heart transplant because she was not vaccinated against COVID-19 and flu. Adaline, a distant relative of US Vice President JD Vance, was adopted from China. She was born with two rare heart conditions, Ebstein's anomaly and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, and has been receiving treatment at Cincinnati Children's Hospital for nearly a decade.
Speaking with The Cincinnati Enquirer, her parents said that the hospital required all transplant patients to be vaccinated and despite their objections based on their religious beliefs as nondenominational Christians, the hospital refused to make an exemption. Adaline's mother, Janeen Deal, expressed her disappointment, saying, "I thought, wow. So, it's not about the kid. It's not about saving her life."
Her mother believed the vaccines were unsafe, and said that she and her husband made their decision after "the Holy Spirit put it on our hearts."
Hospital spokesperson Bo McMillan said, "At Cincinnati Children's, clinical decisions are guided by science, research and best practices. We tailor care plans to each patient in collaboration with their family to ensure the safest, most effective treatment."
Vaccines are suggested for transplant patients since they are at a significantly higher risk of infection. Dr Camille Kotton, clinical director of transplant and immunocompromised host infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, said that after transplant, patients are at higher risk for severe illness and death from infection. "The first year after transplant is when they're at highest risk for infection, but they do have a lifelong risk of severe disease and transplant patients are still dying because of COVID-19," Kotton added.
The family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for Adaline's transplant. They have so far received over Rs 43,42,954 ($50,000) in donations. Adaline's family remains hopeful and is now considering taking her to a different transplant centre that won't require her to be vaccinated.
