A 31-year-old Boston man was removed from the heart transplant list and told he was no longer eligible because he had not received the COVID-19 vaccine.
QUICK FACTS:
- Boston man, David Ferguson, is bringing attention to his son, DJ Ferguson’s, medical case after being removed from the heart transplant list over not having his COVID-19 vaccine.
- The elder Ferguson said his son is fighting for his life at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and has been taken out of the running and told he is no longer eligible according to CBS Boston.
- According to his family, Ferguson was at the front of the line for a heart when the hospital removed him from the list.
- The hospital cited “lifestyle behaviors” required to be eligible for a transplant in their system, saying that the COVID-19 vaccination had been added to the list.
- Additionally, according to an update from his family, doctors advised the Ferguson family that the COVID-19 vaccine is known to cause swelling of the heart, which could be fatal to the patient.
- The Ferguson family said that they were “aggressively pursuing all options” but that they are running out of time to save the 31-year-olds life.
SUBHEADING 2:
- “My son has gone to the edge of death to stick to his guns and he’s been pushed to the limit,” the elder Ferguson said. “It’s kind of against his basic principles; he doesn’t believe in it. It’s a policy they are enforcing and so because he won’t get the shot, they took him off the list of a heart transplant,” Ferguson said without giving details about why it was against his principles.
- Brigham and Women’s said in their statement that “ like many other transplant programs in the United States – the COVID-19 vaccine is one of several vaccines and lifestyle behaviors required for transplant candidates in the Mass General Brigham system in order to create both the best chance for a successful operation and also the patient’s survival after transplantation.”
BACKGROUND:
- Multiple objections to COVID-19 vaccination mandates have gone to litigation, including one from a group of Navy SEALs who objected to the vaccine on moral grounds, citing religious beliefs and their opposition to the use of “abortion” and “fetal cell lines in development of the vaccine,” according to The Washington Examiner.
- The New York Post reported that Ferguson has two children and is expecting a third with partner Heather.
- A GoFundMe page that was set up for relief for the Ferguson family their medical expenses has amassed almost $50,000 from a little more than 600 donors.
