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A Colorado woman with stage 5 kidney disease has been denied a new kidney because she and her potential donor are not vaccinated.
The University of Colorado Health Hospital sent a letter to Leilani Lutali, 56, who was due to receive a kidney from Jaimee Fougner, 45, informing her that the procedure could not be performed as long as the two women would not have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
“I feel constrained. I feel like my life is in their hands in exchange for a shot, and the attitude is just to shoot, ”Lutali said in Denver7.
Fougner told CBS, “Here I am, ready to be a direct donor to her. It does not affect any other patient on the transplant list. How can I sit here and allow them to murder my friend when I have a perfectly good kidney and can save her life? ‘
Leilani Lutali, left, was due to receive a new kidney from her friend, Jaimee Fougner, when the women suddenly discovered the procedure would be halted because they were not vaccinated.
Lutali faces stage five kidney failure and would be dropped from organ recipient list if not vaccinated within 30 days
According to UCHealth, located in Aurora, the majority of transplant recipients and living donors must now be vaccinated to avoid organ rejection.
Lutali and Fougner met late last year while studying the Bible, and a few months later Fougner made the choice to donate his kidney to his sick friend.
Fougner said she did not receive the vaccine for religious reasons, and Lutali was not vaccinated because she says there are “too many unknowns”.
The women say they were told about hospital policy too late.
“At the end of August, they confirmed that no COVID vaccine was needed at that time,” Lutali said. “Fast forward to September 28. That’s when I discovered it. Jamie has learned that they have this policy regarding COVID firing for both the donor and the recipient.
In the letter sent to Lutali, the hospital informed her that she would be placed on a waiting list for “non-compliance by not receiving the COVID-19 vaccine”. The hospital gave them 30 days to start the vaccination process or be taken off the kidney transplant list.
UCHealth Hospital denied Leilani Lutali the opportunity to get a new kidney due to her unvaccinated status. She is currently listed as inactive on the organ waiting list
Aurora-based hospital said it will require a majority of transplant recipients and living donors to be vaccinated to avoid organ rejection or recipient death due to COVID
“I said I would sign a medical discharge. I have to sign a waiver for the transplant itself anyway, freeing them from anything that could go wrong, ”explained Lutali. “It’s surgery, it’s invasive. I sign a waiver for my life. I don’t know why I can’t sign a waiver for the COVID vaccine.
US Representative Tim Geitner of Colorado called the ordeal “incredibly frustrating, incredibly sad, incredibly disgusting” in a statement on Tuesday.
UCHealth spokesperson Dan Weaver said the hospital would not comment on a specific case, but said it was common for transplant patients to be asked to meet specific conditions before, during and. after surgery.
US Representative Tim Geitner shared a copy of the letter Lutali received and criticized the hospital’s decision, calling it “incredibly disgusting”
“For example,” Weaver wrote in a statement, “patients may be required to receive vaccines, including hepatitis B, MMR and others. Patients may also be required to avoid alcohol, quitting smoking or proving that they will be able to continue taking their anti-rejection medications long after their transplant. These requirements increase the likelihood that a transplant will be successful and the patient will avoid rejection. ‘
Weaver added that transplant patients who are not vaccinated against COVID face a 20-30% higher death rate.
“If they are infected, they are at a particularly high risk of serious illness, hospitalization and death,” Weaver said. “A living donor can transmit COVID-19 infection to an organ recipient even if they initially test negative for the disease, thus putting the patient’s life at risk.”
But Fougner and Lutali said they didn’t mind the risk as Lutali neared total kidney failure. The life expectancy of people with stage 5 kidney disease is about five to 10 years during dialysis treatment, according to the National Kidney Foundation.
It is estimated that 17 people die every day while waiting for an organ.
“It’s your choice on what treatment you have. In Leilani’s case, the choice was taken away from him. His life is now being held hostage because of this warrant, ”Fougner told CBS.
The women said they had not been able to find a hospital in Colorado that would perform the transplant without being vaccinated and said they are now considering other states.
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