North Carolina family of unvaccinated 14-year-old search for a medical center for kidney transplant - Daily Mail

A North Carolina household is appealing for assistance aft their adopted 14-year-old girl was refused a kidney transplant by Duke University infirmary due to the fact that she was not vaccinated against COVID-19.

Yulia Hicks was taken successful by Lee and Chrissy Hicks successful January 2021 from Ukraine. They knew she had a uncommon familial kidney condition, Senior Loken Syndrome, which would yet mean she required a transplant.

On November 11, however, they were told she was not eligible for Duke's waiting database due to the fact that she was not vaccinated against COVID.

'There's nary sympathy whatsoever from immoderate of them,' said Chrissy Hicks.

'It's conscionable beardown arming us: springiness her the vaccine, and you'll get the transplant.'

She said they had contacted a lawyer, but 'can't person her beingness hanging successful the equilibrium with litigation' - and were seeking an alternate aesculapian center. 

The Hickses said Yulia had been infected previously, yet the infirmary said that was not sufficient, and CDC guidelines necessitate vaccinations for transplant patients.

'They said the CDC proposal had been updated astatine the extremity of October, and they had to spell by the recommendation, and if she didn't get the vaccine she wouldn't beryllium getting a transplant astatine Duke,' said Chrissy Hicks, speaking to Tucker Carlson connected Friday night.

'We've been dealing with these doctors from Duke for astatine slightest 2 years, due to the fact that our dialysis goes done Duke arsenic well,' she explained.

'We bash it astatine location for Yulia.

'But the 2 doctors who denied america due to the fact that of the COVID vaccine, we saw them for an eight-hour workup, and that's erstwhile they told america it was going to beryllium required.

'Then we benignant of pushed backmost a small bit.

'They enactment her successful beforehand of the committee connected November 10th.

'She was rejected solely due to the fact that of the vaccine that's erstwhile we decided to bash a league telephone and get existent grounds of them telling america this.'

Carlson called the hospital's determination 'obviously unreasonable and viciously cruel.'

Chrissy Hicks recorded the telephone call, successful which the infirmary explained wherefore Yulia was being denied the transplant.

'I can't necessitate you to bash anything,' a pistillate says. 'I tin urge these things. 

'But if you don't travel our recommendations past Yulia can't beryllium a transplant campaigner here.

'Based connected fig five, which is persistent non-adherence to aesculapian dialysis attraction oregon aesculapian recommendations, and besides based connected fig 10 - which is aesculapian hazard factors that marque the country unsafe.

'And being unvaccinated to the CDC recommended vaccinations, based connected her age, is portion of that.'

When the Hickses, devout Roman Catholics who person 11 children - 3 of them adopted - argued that Yulia had already had COVID and truthful was protected, the infirmary unit pushed back.

'The microorganism has continued to mutate,' a antheral tells them.

'So the earthy immunity is not arsenic bully arsenic if you had earthy immunity, positive vaccination.'

Chrissy Hicks told Carlson that the infirmary unit were not sympathetic, and had not adjacent expressed condolences astatine not being capable to assistance Yulia.

Carlson said it was 'so evil, it's hard to digest it.'

The North Carolina parent said they person retained a lawyer, but successful the meantime are hoping 'that a aesculapian halfway volition travel guardant and fto america cognize they volition execute the transplant without the vaccine.'

'We person retained a lawyer. Mike Yoder is his name,' she said.

'We can't person her beingness hanging successful the equilibrium with litigation.

'So we're hoping that going connected your amusement volition springiness america vulnerability that a aesculapian halfway volition travel guardant and fto america cognize they volition execute the transplant without the vaccine.

'We would emotion for them to scope retired to us.

'We've created a website, yuliagrace.com, interaction america there, if there's aesculapian halfway that volition assistance us.

'We've besides created - we person 11 children successful our family. We aren't financially capable to spell retired of authorities to bash this. Go to giftsendgo.com.

'We've had an outpouring of assistance already. We are truthful grateful for radical who person stepped forward,' she said.

'This comes down to: this is bigger than Yulia, truthful galore families successful the concern arsenic Yulia, and we privation to assistance different families.

'There's been a enactment drawn successful the sand.

'If we don't basal up present for our aesculapian freedoms, we don't won't beryllium capable to basal up soon.'

Yulia's lawsuit is not isolated.

Earlier this year, a 31-year-old Boston man, DJ Ferguson, was denied a bosom transplant due to the fact that helium refused to beryllium vaccinated against COVID.

Several weeks aboriginal a North Carolina man, Chad Carswell, 38, said helium would alternatively dice than beryllium forced to get the COVID jab to person the kidney transplant helium needed.

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, the infirmary wherever Carswell was hoping to person his transplant, declined to remark connected his lawsuit but a spokeswoman said the hospital's vaccine argumentation is meant to support transplant patients, who are astatine precocious hazard for terrible unwellness from COVID. 

Last year, some Cleveland Clinic and University of Colorado hospitals refused to execute organ transplants for recipients who hadn't been vaccinated.

Individual centers found their ain policies, but determination are immoderate communal practices. Hospitals volition typically necessitate transplant candidates to abstain from smoking, and transplant recipients mostly person to spell done psychosocial evaluations. 

They often person to beryllium vaccinated against hepatitis B, perpetrate to getting yearly flu shots, and amusement they're immune to measles.