Batesville parents hope to get daughter on transplant list despite vaccine refusal

A fundraiser has been launched ahead of heart transplant

(BATESVILLE, Ind.) – A fundraiser has been launched for a Batesville family as they hope to have a heart transplant for their daughter, while maintaining their personal choice to decline a vaccine.

Brayton and Jeneen Deal adopted Adaline from China when she was 4-years-old. 

She was born with two rare heart conditions which led to some difficulty during the adoption process. 

“When we were in the process of adopting her, the adoption agency told us we needed to pick another child because her heart was so bad she wasn’t going to make it,” Jeneen said. 

The family adopted another child but eventually found Adaline again on an adoption website, and knew it was time to bring her home. 

Adaline is now 12-years-old and has excelled despite her heart condition, but she faces a new challenge. 

“She has grown so much her heart can no longer sustain her and she will need a heart transplant,” Jeneen said.

A Go Fund Me fundraiser has been created to help the family with the medical expenses.

The family is facing a hurdle that is preventing Adaline from getting on the transplant list. 

They say Cincinnati Children’s Hospital won’t put her on the transplant list unless she gets the COVID-19 and flu shot. 

The family has a religious exemption against the vaccines but says the hospital will not honor it. 

“I am terrified she is going to die while we are trying to fight this, I’ve had people say just get her vaccinated, but I cannot consciously and in the Holy Spirit do that,” she said.

The family is also concerned that the vaccine would contribute to further medical issues with Adeline who already has a compromised heart. 

Their fight to refuse vaccines in order to get on the transplant list comes at a time when an Ohio legislator is about to introduce a bill that would establish a “conscientious right to refuse” law.

This bill follows House Bill 319, which died in the last Ohio general assembly.

The bill would prohibit discrimination against or refusal of services to adults who refuse  certain medical interventions for reasons of conscience, including religious convictions and now also includes a provision prohibiting refusal of medical care to the children of parents that decline vaccination for conscientious or religious convictions.

This could directly affect the Deal's as Cincinnati Children's is the hospital they are working with.

Ohio Advocates for Medical Freedom is advocating for the legislation and said bill sponsor Rep. Jennifer Gross is seeking co-sponsors before introducing the bill.