A 64-year-old man at the University of Washington was reportedly removed from a transplant waitlist after refusing to be vaccinated for Covid-19.
KTTH reports, the man claims to have been on the waiting list for two and a half years. After learning that he declined to be vaccinated against Covid, the hospital chose to remove him from the list and said they would consider putting him back on if he met their “compliance concerns.”
In June, Sam Allen of Monroe, Washington, found out that his heart transplant procedure was in jeopardy due to his unwillingness to receive the Covid vaccine. Allen says he has an extensive variety of medical issues, including mitral valve regurgitation, tricuspid valve regurgitation, aortic valve regurgitation, thoracic aortic aneurysm, and dilated cardiomyopathy.
He has three leaky heart valves that affect the blood flow into his lungs and make it difficult for him to breathe, which is one of the reasons he refuses to wear a mask. He had previously undergone open-heart surgery, which he claims destroyed his heart.
Following a disagreement over his mask use, Allen said his doctor called him to discuss his transplant. He stated, “The cardiologist called me, and we had a discussion, and he informed me that, ‘well, you’re going to have to get a vaccination to get a transplant.’ And I said, ‘well, that’s news to me. And nobody’s ever told me that before.’ And he says, ‘yeah, that’s our policy.’ ” After the conversation with his doctor, Allen got a letter dated June 7, 2021, telling him he was removed from the waitlist for a heart from the United Network for Organ Sharing.
The letter stated, “Your name has been removed from the waitlist at the University of Washington Medical Center. This was done in follow-up to your recent conversation with providers regarding the heart transplant selection committee’s concerns about compliance with COVID-19-related policies and recommendations. We can re-assess you for reinstatement on the waiting list should the compliance concerns resolve in the future or, if you wish, refer you to another center for evaluation in the meantime.”
Allen said he was concerned about the possible side effects of the Covid vaccines. He wrote a letter in response to his removal from the waitlist, saying, “I understand that my choices have repercussions, but I did not change the policy. I am most put off, not by your decision to remove me from the list, thereby removing any opportunity to live out my life at a near-normal level, but by the lack of scientific logic that dictates your’ policy.’ ” His letter continued, “As a person who has spent much time and money at UWMC as a heart failure patient, I am being told I cannot get care for my condition unless I take an injection that has shown to cause cardiac problems.” The medical center replied to Allen’s letter but refused to add him back to the waitlist.
Jason Rantz of KTTH said the hospital evaded most questions about their vaccination policy.
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