COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado – Leilani Lutali, a Colorado woman, made the difficult decision of declining a kidney transplant to refuse the COVID-19 vaccine requirement.
UCHealth requires all transplant recipients to receive the COVID-19 vaccination to prevent any complications in the operation procedure. The COVID-19 vaccine also helps prevent the patient from contracting the virus in the hospital and potentially dying from the infection.
Leilani Lutali suffers from stage 5 kidney disease, requiring an immediate kidney transplant or risk of dying. Lutali refused the vaccine because of the presence of stem cells in the development of the vaccine.
Because of her Christian religious tradition, she could not support the use of aborted babies in the vaccine’s creation. According to Lutali, “the sanctity of life for me is precious.”
According to Spokesman Dan Weaver, a person who contracted COVID-19 also risks a 20% or higher mortality rate. Thus, the COVID-19 vaccine requirement is essential in increasing the patient’s survival rate.
The American Hospital Association also discloses that many transplant programs require patients to receive COVID-19 vaccinations before becoming eligible for the operation.
The policy also prevents the patient from contracting COVID-19 after the procedure. After the operation, the patient needs to undergo a series of drugs that could weaken the patient’s immune system, preventing the body from accepting the transplanted organ. American Hospital Association Vice President Nancy Foster restates the vital importance of the vaccine to provide added protection while the patient recovers.
Furthermore, Foster also states that patients looking to take the vaccine after the surgery can also run into the same complication.
