Hospital refuses transplant over vaccine requirement

A 12-year-old Indiana girl, Adaline Deal, who is distantly related to Vice President JD Vance, has been denied a spot on a heart transplant list at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital because she has not been vaccinated against COVID-19 or the flu, her parents claim.

Adaline was born with two rare heart conditions—Ebstein’s anomaly and Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome—which her family always knew would eventually require a heart transplant, her mother Janeen Deal told The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Adaline, who was adopted from China at age 4, has been receiving treatment at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for nearly a decade. However, hospital policy requires all transplant patients to be vaccinated, and the hospital declined to make an exemption despite the family’s claim that vaccines violate their religious beliefs as nondenominational Christians.

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“I thought, wow. So, it’s not about the kid. It’s not about saving her life,” Janeen Deal said, expressing frustration over the hospital’s decision.

Medical experts defend vaccine requirement

According to Dr. Camille Kotton, clinical director of transplant and immunocompromised host infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, transplant recipients are at high risk of infections, especially in the first year after the procedure.

“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 explained.

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Despite these concerns, Adaline’s mother remains firm in her stance, saying she believes vaccines are unsafe and that the decision was guided by faith.

Hospital stands by decision

A spokesperson for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital declined to confirm if Adaline was removed from the transplant list but stated that the hospital’s clinical decisions are based on scientific research and best medical practices.

“We tailor care plans to each patient in collaboration with their family to ensure the safest, most effective treatment,” spokesperson Bo McMillan said.

Family seeks alternative treatment

Following the hospital’s refusal, Adaline’s family is now looking for another transplant center that does not require vaccinations.

A GoFundMe campaign for her transplant has already raised more than $50,000 as of Wednesday morning.