Unvaccinated Woman Denied Kidney Transplant From Unvaccinated Donor

A health system in Colorado has refused to perform a kidney transplant surgery on a woman because she and the donor are not vaccinated against COVID-19. Leilani Lutali thought she would get a kidney from Jaimee Fougner, whom she met during a Bible study class ten months ago.

Fougner and Lutali reached out to UCHealth over the summer to discuss the operation and were told that a COVID-19 vaccine was not required. Fougner cited religious reasons for her decision not to get vaccinated, while Lutali said there are too many unknowns about the long-term effects of the coronavirus vaccines.

Last week, they both received a letter from UCHealth informing them that they both need to be vaccinated in order to undergo the transplant surgery. They were given 30 days to get vaccinated. If Lutali refuses, she will be removed from the kidney transplant list.

Lutali tried to convince UCHealth officials to change their minds, but they have refused.

"I said I'll sign a medical waiver. I have to sign a waiver anyway for the transplant itself, releasing them from anything that could possibly go wrong," Lutali told KCNC. "It's surgery, it's invasive. I sign a waiver for my life. I'm not sure why I can't sign a waiver for the COVID shot."

Fougner told the news station she doesn't understand why the health system will not allow them to undergo the life-saving surgery.

"Here I am, willing to be a direct donor to her. It does not affect any other patient on the transplant list," Fougner said. "How can I sit here and allow them to murder my friend when I've got a perfectly good kidney and can save her life?"

UCHealth defended the decision in a statement to KCNC.

"For transplant patients who contract COVID-19, the mortality rate ranges from about 20% to more than 30%. This shows the extreme risk that COVID-19 poses to transplant recipients after their surgeries," the statement said.

The women checked other hospitals in the state but could not find any willing to perform the surgery. They are now expanding their search to hospitals in nearby states.