JD Vance's relative, 12, refused heart transplant over vaccine status
A relative of Vice President JD Vance says an Ohio hospital has refused to put her 12-year-old daughter on its heart transplant waiting list over her vaccine status.
Jeneen Deal, a mom-of-12 from Indiana who is related to Vance's half-siblings through marriage, adopted Adaline from China as a 4-year-old knowing the little girl had two heart conditions, Ebstein's anomaly and Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, that meant she would one day require a transplant.
The girl has been receiving treatment from the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, a leader in pediatric organ transplantation, for almost a decade.
The facility requires that heart transplant patients receive vaccinations for Covid-19 and flu as recipients are at much higher risk of infection. Deal said Adaline's doctor confirmed to the family that she was in heart failure on January 17.
'My heart's getting sick,' Adaline Deal told Local 12. 'I get tired. My legs get [too] tired to stand.'
Deal and her husband Brayton, who are both members of a non-denominational Christian church, said that the vaccines conflict with their religious and medical beliefs and that they would not be willing to inoculate their daughter.
The pair have broadcast both their faith and vaccine-skepticism in posts on their Facebook pages.
The parents made their decision after 'the Holy Spirit put it on our hearts,' the mom told The Cincinnati Enquirer. The hospital, they say, would not honor their beliefs.
'The heart failure team told me they won't put her on the list unless we give her the Covid shot and the flu shot. I was like u would let her die if I refuse,' the mom wrote in a Facebook post on January 27. 'That's their policy she said. How nuts is that!'
The couple is now considering taking Adaline to a different transplant center that won't require her to be vaccinated. In the meantime, the Deals have crowdfunded more than $57,000 of their $100,000 goal after setting up a GoFundMe page to help to pay for the transplant.
Deal said that people had already judged her as a 'bad parent' and called her to make an exception so the hospital could put her on the transplant list.
'Yes, I've seen that they are already. But I just know I'm following our heart and what I feel is good for her. And nothing should be forced on us. I mean, it's our God-given right. We can say no," she told Local 12.
On Wednesday, Cincinnati Children's Hospital released a statement on their transplant evaluations and immunization considerations.
'Because children who receive a transplant will be immunosuppressed for the rest of their life, vaccines play a critical role in preventing or reducing the risk of life-threatening infections, especially in the first year,' it said. 'These decisions involve discussion between our providers and the patient's family.'
Health Resources and Services Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, who oversee transplant lists in the U.S., have not mandated vaccination, leaving it up to hospitals to decide their policies.
The American Society of Transplant Surgeons agrees with the hospital's vaccination policy for patients in need of an organ transplant.
'Transplant candidates and recipients frequently interact with other at-risk individuals in the hospital. The ASTS recommend[s] routine vaccination for all organ recipients and for those on the waitlist,' it said in a position statement on its website.
The Independent
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
6 hours ago
- Metro
Passengers forced to evacuate train with no air conditioning after 'slowly cooki
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Passengers were forced to walk down sizzling train tracks after a Thameslink service became stuck in the 34°C heat. Customers on the service said they felt as if they were being 'slow cooked' after the train came to a halt – and the air conditioning stopped working. At least three trains had to stop in the middle of their journeys due to faults, with one service shown being evacuated. One customer wrote online: '[Thameslink] you will have hell to pay. We've been stuck on this hot and humid train for over an hour. 'The doors were closed because we were told we may be moving. That was 15 minutes ago. It's like an oven in here and we're being slow cooked.' Another took to socials to ask to be rescued, saying they had been stuck on a train between Blackfriars and East Croydon for more than an hour with no air conditioning. One added they were on a 'rammed' service to Brighton, describing the journey as a 'medical accident waiting to happen'. Footage shows passengers jumping from the train onto the ground below and walking along the tracks as the sun beats down on them. Many can be seen ragging suitcases behind them, or helping older passengers make the climb down. It comes as temperatures peak today during the days long heatwave, with highs of 34°C, below the June record of 35.6°C in 1976. Thameslink said: ' Due to a fault on a train between London Blackfriars and Herne Hill, some lines are blocked. We're working to gather more information on this incident.' People living in London and the West Midlands are most at risk of becoming seriously ill in the extreme heat. More than 10,000 people died prematurely in summer heatwaves between 2020 and 2024, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). More Trending The agency has issued amber heat-health alerts across the country, running until 9am on Monday. Dr Agostinho Sousa said: 'We have already seen warm weather across the week, and temperatures are set to increase in the coming days, exceeding 30°c in many areas. 'Our findings show that heat can result in serious health outcomes across the population, especially for older adults or those with pre-existing health conditions. 'It is therefore important to check on friends, family and neighbours who are more vulnerable and to take sensible precautions while enjoying the sun.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Family's plea for truth after man shot dead in 'case of mistaken identity' MORE: Moment officer tells Christian street preacher 'it's all wrong' outside station MORE: Sister charged with murdering film director in missing diamond Rolex case
Scottish Sun
11 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Brit fighting for life after catching deadly disease on all-inclusive at hols hotspot
The Brit was rushed to hospital and put in an induced coma HOLS HORROR Brit fighting for life after catching deadly disease on all-inclusive at hols hotspot Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A BRITISH tourist is fighting for her life after catching a deadly disease while on her all-inclusive holiday in Greece. Donna Jobling, 57, from west Hull, came down with Legionnaires' disease on the island of Crete, and is in intensive care. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Donna Jobling, 57, of west Hull, is fighting for her life in hospital Credit: MEN Media 2 Donna was on holiday in Crete with her husband and two friends Credit: Getty She is receiving urgent treatment at Venizeleio Hospital in Heraklion after falling ill just days into the trip. Donna was holidaying with her husband Sidney and friends Paula and Nicolas Mason, also of Hull. The group had been enjoying a £1,500-per-couple all-inclusive trip when Donna fell ill. She developed a chest infection and needed lots of rest, and then became seriously ill two days later. Donna, who suffers from "complex" medical conditions including epilepsy, was taken to hospital on June 11 and doctors put her in an induced coma. Tests confirmed she had contracted Legionnaires' disease, which triggered acute respiratory failure and pneumonia. Her "devastated" family has flown out to be by her side. Neice Claire, 42, has been back-and-forth between Crete and Hull. She is currently in East Yorkshire to obtain Donna's insurance documents before flying back out. The couple was travelling with Easyjet. A spokesperson for the company said: "We're so sorry to hear that Ms Jobling is unwell, and we're continuing to support her and her family in every way we can. "As soon as we were made aware of reports of illness, we immediately took action and contacted customers who were already staying in the hotel, or due to travel in the next four weeks, to provide alternative hotel options." More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
BBC News
17 hours ago
- BBC News
'I took photos of my mum's dementia decline to show our long goodbye'
A woman who recorded her mother's decline with dementia in hundreds of photos said it was "hard" to capture the moments when she began not to recognise her own Harris started taking the shots of 87-year-old Vivian Harris while she was in a care home when the Covid pandemic struck in later, she has put the images together to show people the "raw end" of dementia in an exhibition called Our Long Goodbye, which has now opened in Sale, Greater Manchester-based artist said: "It's like you're saying goodbye somebody while they're still alive". "Mum moved into a care home, and then Covid happened, and I suddenly couldn't be with her," said Ms Harris, 60.A year later she noticed her mum was was struggling with her memory. She started to take shots of her mum through windows at the care home, and then continued when lockdown lifted, taking more than 1,500 photographs."Without realising it, I had created a visual archive of our relationship with dementia and each other," she said. Each click of her camera captured the personal challenges of dementia, but also moments of love, joy and said: "A lot of it is about my mum sleeping and not recognising us, and it's hard, but I think people need to see that because of a lot of it is behind closed doors"I think let's talk about that rather than forget it's there or tuck it away."Her exhibition will also be on show in Huddersfield and Stockport before finishing in Manchester at the end of the year."There are lots of things I've chosen not to show in this exhibition which are probably the more slightly brutal end of things, just because I'm not sure what my mum would have thought about that," she said. 'Talk about it' Ms Harris has described the exhibition as focused on the idea of "anticipatory grief" and "mourning the loss of someone before they actually die".Dementia is defined by the NHS as a syndrome associated with an ongoing decline in the functioning of the brain, with many different types, including Alzheimer' include memory loss, trouble speaking and understanding, changes in mood and the way you speak, think, feel and 2014, Ms Harris she has been the lead artist with Storybox, a creative project for dementia parents and their Harris said: "I'm hoping it will help other people maybe write about it and talk about it, and other people who don't know much about dementia to start conversations about it."Each exhibition venue will have one free writing workshop with the first taking place on Saturday afternoon at Waterside in Sale."Our Long Goodbye is just one story, there are so many more about dementia and Alzheimer's," said Ms Harris. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
