A young father was denied a heart transplant for not getting the covid-19 vaccine. The 31-year-old’s father, David Ferguson, told CBS Boston that his son DJ is fighting to stay alive at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Man denied heart transplant for failing to get covid-19 vaccine
DJ’s family says he was next on the waiting list to receive a heart, but according to hospital policy, he is ineligible because he has not been vaccinated.
Ferguson said getting vaccinated goes against his son’s “basic principles” and that “he doesn’t believe in it.”
“It’s a policy they’re enforcing, and because he won’t get the shot, they took him off the heart transplant list,” he said.
The hospital said in a statement that “like many other transplant programs, the covid-19 vaccine is one of several vaccines and lifestyle behaviors required for transplant candidates in the Mass General Brigham system to create the best chance for a successful operation and also patient survival after transplantation.”
NYU (New York University) Grossman School of Medicine director of medical ethics Dr. Arthur Caplan told CBS Boston that the vaccine is necessary because after any type of transplant, “the immune system shuts down.”
“The flu can kill you, a cold can kill you, covid-19 can kill you. Organs are scarce, we’re not going to distribute them to someone who has little chance of living when others who are vaccinated have a better chance of surviving after surgery,” Dr. Caplan said.
DJ has two children, with a third on the way, and the family says they are unsure how they will proceed. They are considering transferring him, but he may not be strong enough for the move.
“We’re aggressively pursuing all options, but we’re running out of time,” Ferguson said.
The family has said DJ has received great care at the hospital, but they disagree with the vaccination policy.
