Young relative of J.D. Vance denied heart transplant due to vaccination status

A heartwrenching and sickening situation has unfolded in Vice President J.D. Vance's family regarding a major organ transplant for one of his 12-year-old relatives.

According to the Daily Mail, the family of a 12-year-old Indiana girl, reportedly a "distant" relative of the vice president, claimed that she was denied a much-needed heart transplant due to not having a Covid or flu vaccine. 

The girl, Adaline Deal, suffered from a medical condition that caused her heart valves to leak, necessitating the need for a transplant sooner rather than later.

Adding more seriousness to the issue is the fact that another condition causes her heart to beat much faster than normal, reaching up to 250 beats per minute. It places her in great danger of sudden cardiac events.

What's going on?

The young girl has been treated for a decade at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital in Ohio, but as soon as it was determined that she needed a heart transplant, they denied her because of her lack of vaccines.

It's being reported that the 12 year old girl that the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital denied a heart transplant is a relative of Vice President JD Vance. The girl was denied treatment because she isn't vaccinated for covid due to religious beliefs.#zelena pic.twitter.com/4e0DehJ75W

— Mister Sugar (@ScottWi92107364) February 12, 2025

Her vaccination status made her ineligible for the heart transplant list, according to the report.

The Daily Mail noted:

Adaline has not had any vaccinations as they conflict with her family's religious beliefs. Adaline's mother, Jeneen, told The Cincinnati Enquirer that when the family were denied, she thought: 'Wow. So, it's not about the kid. It's not about saving her life.'

Her family is still hesitant to administer the required vaccines.

"We'll take it as we can if it happens. But I know I cannot put this [vaccine] in her body knowing what we know and how we feel about it," her mother said.

Social media blows up

As soon as the news of the denied transplant hit social media, users erupted with anger over the hospital's policy.

"How is it still legal to deny life saving care for not having something that has been proven to be more harmful than good?" one X user wrote.

Another X user wrote, "They allow alcoholics and drug users to get organs all the time and then it fails but this is criminal."

Only time will tell if the hospital changes its mind or if she's able to go elsewhere to seek the life-saving procedure.