David Ferguson is speaking out passionately on behalf of his son DJ. He says the 31-year-old is fighting for his life at Brigham and Women鈥檚 Hospital and in desperate need of a heart transplant. 鈥淢y son has gone to the edge of death to stick to his guns and he鈥檚 been pushed to the limit,鈥 Ferguson said.
The family says he was at the front of the line to receive a transplant but because he has not received the COVID-19 vaccination he is no longer eligible according to hospital policy. And Ferguson says his son refuses to get the shot.
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of against his basic principles, he doesn鈥檛 believe in it. It鈥檚 a policy they are enforcing and so because he won鈥檛 get the shot, they took him off the list of a heart transplant,鈥 Ferguson said.
Brigham and Women鈥檚 released a statement saying, 鈥淎nd like many other transplant programs in the United States 鈥 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鈥檚 survival after transplantation.鈥
Dr. Arthur Caplan is Head of Medical Ethics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He says being vaccinated is necessary for this type of procedure. 鈥淧ost any transplant, kidney, heart whatever, your immune system is shut off,鈥 Caplan said. 鈥淭he flu could kill you, a cold could kill you, COVID could kill you. The organs are scarce, we are not going to distribute them to someone who has a poor chance of living when others who are vaccinated have a better chance post-surgery of surviving.鈥
DJ remains at BWH. He is a father of two children with a third on the way. The family says they are not sure what they plan to do. They are thinking about transferring him, but he may be too weak to move. 鈥淲e are aggressively pursuing all options, but we are running out of time,鈥 Ferguson said.
While the family says DJ has received great care from doctors and nurses at Brigham and Women鈥檚, they just don鈥檛 agree with the heart transplant COVID vaccination policy. 鈥淚 think my boy is fighting pretty damn courageously and he has integrity and principles he really believes in and that makes me respect him all the more,鈥 he said.
Which is why the family is sticking by his side and hoping for the best. 鈥淚t鈥檚 his body. It鈥檚 his choice,鈥 Ferguson said.
A $2.14-billion federal loan for an Ottawa-based satellite operator has Canadian politicians arguing about whether American billionaire Elon Musk poses a national security risk.
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Donald Trump returned to North Carolina on Saturday, stumping in the southern battleground state with direct appeals to women, claiming he would be a better champion for them than U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is vying to become the first female president.
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The maker of the popular party game Cards Against Humanity is accusing Elon Musk's SpaceX of trespassing on and damaging a plot of vacant land the company owns in Texas.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday accepted an invitation from CNN to debate former President Donald Trump on October 23, challenging her rival to another engagement on a public stage in the final weeks of the campaign.
A body has been found in the vicinity where a woman went missing on the Ottawa River near Pembroke, Ont. while kayaking Tuesday night, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
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A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.
A body has been found in the vicinity where a woman went missing on the Ottawa River near Pembroke, Ont. while kayaking Tuesday night, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
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The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah announced that it fired a barrage of missiles at a military base deep inside Israel early Sunday following an Israeli airstrike more than a day earlier that killed at least 37 people, including one of the militant group鈥檚 senior leaders as well as women and children.
A $2.14-billion federal loan for an Ottawa-based satellite operator has Canadian politicians arguing about whether American billionaire Elon Musk poses a national security risk.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says close to 45,000 Canadians are in Lebanon, months after warning there is no guarantee Ottawa can evacuate them if the situation deteriorates further.
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The owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant said Friday that it plans to restart the reactor under a 20-year agreement that calls for tech giant Microsoft to buy the power to supply its data centers with carbon-free energy.
Lebanese authorities on Thursday banned walkie-talkies and pagers from being taken on flights from Beirut airport, the National News Agency reported, after thousands of such devices exploded during a deadly attack on Hezbollah this week.
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Jonathan Aranda homered for the second consecutive game, helping Taj Bradley and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 on Saturday.
Kiefer Sherwood spent several nights last spring chasing Quinn Hughes around the ice and generally pestering the Vancouver Canucks.
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An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
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A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
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Toronto police say they have now identified a third person who they believe was involved in a shooting that left two men dead in North York earlier this week.
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Milla White from Cochrane literally drew her way into a meeting with former boxer and actor Mickey Rourke.
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The St. Thomas police is asking the public for help locating a missing man.
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Lethbridge County has rescinded its fire restriction as a result of the recent cool, wet weathr.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes kicked off the 2024-25 season on a winning note Friday night, defeating the Edmonton Oil Kings 3-1 in a game played at VisitLethbridge.com Arena.
A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.
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