A 12-year-old girl’s shot at a heart transplant was denied because she has not been vaccinated, per a report.
Adaline Deal, who is from Indiana, is a distant relative of Vice President JD Vance, the New York Post reported.
She needs a heart transplant, but cannot get on the list because she’s not been vaccinated against COVID-19 and the flu, her parents told The Cincinnati Enquirer.
Adaline, who was adopted from China when she was 4, was born with two rare heart conditions. Her family knew she would need a transplant at some point, but they were taken by surprise when they were told she could not get on the transplant list.
Janeen Deal, Adaline’s mother, said she’s been treated at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for nearly 10 years. They hoped she would get a new heart there.
The hospital, however, requires transplant patients to be vaccinated.
No exception was afforded even if vaccines go against the family’s religious beliefs as nondenominational Christians, her parents said.
— Children’s Health Defense (@ChildrensHD) February 4, 2025
HORRIFIC: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital denies 12-year-old girl access to lifesaving heart transplant for refusing COVID/Flu shot
Janeen Deal’s daughter, Adaline, has been denied placement on the heart transplant list because she is unvaccinated for COVID and influenza.… pic.twitter.com/EKrUzlgGkz
“I thought, wow. So, it’s not about the kid. It’s not about saving her life,” said Janeen Deal, who believes vaccines are not safe.
She and her husband decided not to vaccinate Adaline after “the Holy Spirit put it on our hearts.”
It is important for transplant patients to be vaccinated because they are vulnerable to infections, the outlet reported.
Adaline has Ebstein’s anomaly and Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome and is at a higher risk of death if she contracts COVID compared to other patients, Dr. Camille Kotton, the clinical director of transplant and immunocompromised host infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, said, per the Post.
“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 said.
Janeen Deal, whose family includes 11 other children, believes they would not have any problems with COVID-19.
“We’ll take it as we can if it happens,” Janeen said. “But I know I cannot put this (vaccine) in her body knowing what we know and how we feel about it.”
A Cincinnati Children’s spokesperson told The Enquirer the hospital’s clinical decisions are “guided by science research and best practices.” The spokesperson added the hospital follows guidelines from the National Institutes of Health.
“We tailor care plans to each patient in collaboration with their family to ensure the safest, most effective treatment,” spokesperson Bo McMillan said.
Janeen Deal is related by marriage to Vance’s half siblings.
A GoFundMe account has raised $57,964 as of late Thursday afternoon. The goal is $100,000.
