Patient who refused COVID vaccine was denied a heart transplant

D.J. Ferguson was initially treated at the Regional Medical Center. Ferguson's family claimed that he was denied a new heart because he refused to bevaccinated against COVID-19.

Tracey Ferguson file photo/via AP

The family of a man who was denied a new heart because of his refusal to bevaccinated against COVID-19 said that most transplant programs around the country set similar requirements to improve their chances. The family of D.J. Ferguson said that he was ineligible for the procedure because he hadn't been shot against the coronaviruses. The family said in its appeal that this is a time sensitive issue and that it has raised tens of thousands of dollars. People need a choice.

D.J.'s mother insists that he isn't against vaccinations, noting that he has had other immunizations in the past. He has been diagnosed with an irregular and often rapid heart rhythm, and he has concerns about the side effects of the vaccine. It pointed to a response it posted on its website that said the COVID-19 vaccine is one of several immunizations required by most U.S. transplant programs. According to the hospital, research has shown that transplant recipients are at higher risk of dying from COVID-19 than non-transplant patients, and that its policies are in line with the recommendations of the American Society of Transplantation and other health organizations. It is not known if D.J. Ferguson would have met the other health and lifestyle criteria for donating organs. The notion that a transplant candidate could be considered first on the list for an organ was rejected by the hospital.

Around half of people on waiting lists will not receive an organ within five years, because of a shortage of available organs.

Hospitals in other states have been criticized for denying transplants to patients who weren'tvaccinated. A woman in Colorado was denied a transplant because she was unvaccinated. Fetal cell lines play a role in the development of vaccines, and that is why a born-again Christian opposed immunization. There is a scarcity of donor organs, so transplant centers only place patients on the waiting list whom they deem the most likely to survive with a new organ. She said that patients who are denied organ transplants still have the right to go somewhere else.

D.J. Ferguson was hospitalized in late November for a heart ailment that caused his lungs to fill with blood and fluid. The family says the emergency heart pump was only meant to be a temporary stopgap.