CINCINNATI (WXIX/Gray News) – A mom says a children’s hospital denied putting her 12-year-old daughter on the heart transplant list due to her vaccination status.
Jeneen Deal and her husband adopted Adaline from China as a 4-year-old, knowing she would need a heart transplant someday.
Adaline is living with Ebstein’s anomaly and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, two rare but serious heart conditions.
“I’m terrified for her. I mean, she’s my child, and I want the best for her,” Deal said.
The family from Batesville, Indiana, has received most of Adaline’s medical care through Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. But now, they are looking for another hospital after Cincinnati Children’s declined to put Adaline on their transplant list.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital requires transplant patients to have both the flu vaccine and COVID-19 vaccine, both of which Adaline has not received.
The Deals have not vaccinated any of their 12 children, citing religious reasons. They identify as non-denominational.
“Her father and I both feel very strongly that the Holy Spirit is telling us, ‘Don’t put this vaccination in her body,’” Deal said.
Deal said she requested a religious exemption for Adaline, but the hospital denied it.
“He came back and said they are not going to change their policy, and this is what it is, and we are more than welcome to find another hospital if we didn’t like it,” she said.
Deal said she is frustrated with the policy.
“It’s not right, and we don’t believe in doing the vaccination part of it,” she said.
A spokesperson for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital provided the following statement:
“At Cincinnati Children’s, clinical decisions are guided by science, research, and best practices. We tailor care plans to each patient in collaboration with their family to ensure the safest, most effective treatment.”
Deal said that a Pittsburgh hospital contacted her family, and they are considering taking Adaline there for further treatment.
Adaline does not have a deadline for when she needs a heart transplant, so the family said they still have time to figure out their next move.”
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