JD Vance’s 12-Year-Old Relative Denied Heart Transplant Due to Unvaccinated Status
A 12-year-old Indiana girl has been barred from receiving a heart transplant due to her refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and the flu, according to her parents.
Adaline Deal, who is related to Vice President JD Vance by marriage, suffers from two rare heart conditions and had hoped to receive the transplant at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where she has been treated for nearly a decade, the New York Post reports.
Adaline, adopted from China at the age of four, has lived with Ebstein’s anomaly and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, two severe heart conditions that require a transplant. Her family was prepared for the day when the procedure would be necessary, but their plans were halted when they learned that Cincinnati Children’s Hospital mandates vaccinations for transplant patients.
The hospital, according to the family, refused to make an exemption for Adaline despite the parents citing religious objections. Janeen Deal, Adaline’s mother, expressed disappointment with the decision.
“I thought, wow. So, it’s not about the kid. It’s not about saving her life,” she told The Cincinnati Enquirer.
The Deal family, who are nondenominational Christians, explained that their decision to not vaccinate Adaline was a result of their religious beliefs.
“The Holy Spirit put it on our hearts,” Janeen said, sharing that her family believes vaccines are unsafe.
Vaccines, including those for COVID-19 and the flu, are recommended for transplant recipients, as they are more vulnerable to infections due to their weakened immune systems, according to The Post. Dr. Camille Kotton, the clinical director of transplant and immunocompromised host infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, explained that transplant patients face a higher risk of infection, particularly in the first year following the procedure.
She also emphasized that patients like Adaline, with serious heart conditions, are at a higher risk of death if they contract COVID-19.
Despite these risks, Janeen Deal remains firm in her stance. She believes that her family, including their 11 other children, would not have any issues with COVID-19 after Adaline’s transplant.
“We’ll take it as we can if it happens,” she said. “But I know I cannot put this (vaccine) in her body knowing what we know and how we feel about it.”
While Cincinnati Children’s Hospital declined to comment directly on Adaline’s case, a spokesperson stated that the hospital follows science research and best practices to guide clinical decisions. They also mentioned that care plans are tailored to each patient in collaboration with their families.
“We tailor care plans to each patient in collaboration with their family to ensure the safest, most effective treatment,” Bo McMillan, a spokesperson for the hospital, said.
Now, Adaline’s parents are seeking treatment at another transplant center, one that does not require vaccinations. They have set up a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the costs of the transplant, which has raised over $50,000 as of Wednesday morning.
In response to concerns over vaccination requirements for medical treatments, Rep. Jennifer Gross (R-OH) is co-sponsoring new legislation aimed at addressing what some see as discriminatory practices against unvaccinated individuals. The proposed bill, the Conscientious Right to Refuse Act, seeks to prevent Ohio hospitals from denying medical care, including transplant procedures, to children based on their vaccination status.
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