Anti-Vaxxer Skipped On Heart Transplant List For Refusing To Get Jab

An anti-vaxxer in Boston with a heart condition was taken off a heart transplant list on Tuesday, Jan. 25, after he reportedly refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine in spite of its necessity for a successful transplant.

Thirty-one-year-old DJ Ferguson, who is fighting a heart condition he inherited that causes his lungs and heart to fill with liquid, was reportedly removed from the heart transplant list after he refused to get vaccinated, which reduces the chance of infection as well as the chances of rejection for the new heart, according to the New York Daily News.

“Post any transplant, kidney, heart whatever, your immune system is shut off,” Dr. Arthur Caplan from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine said. “The flu could kill you, a cold could kill you, COVID could kill you.”

Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where Ferguson is confined, has pointed out that the policy that they have is in line with the CDC’s guidelines in regards to transplants, and that the risk of rejection is higher if the patient is unvaccinated, The Guardian reported.

"Research has shown that transplant recipients are at a much higher risk of dying from COVID-19 when compared to non-transplant patients," the hospital said in a statement.

“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,” the hospital continued.

David Ferguson, DJ’s father, said that his son is against the COVID-19 vaccine due to a list of various unexplained principles and a general aversion against the vaccine. He also notes that they are running out of time in finding another hospital that does not have a vaccination policy in regards to transplants, the New York Post reported.

“But in DJs case he can NOT afford for his heart to swell any more than it already is right now. He is at extremely high risk of sudden death if it does,” a statement on their fundraiser page said.

DJ Ferguson has two children with his wife Heather and is expecting a third soon. He and his wife have been unable to work since he was admitted to the hospital.