Anti-Vaxxer Thinks He's A Big Hero For Refusing Heart Transplant
Well, it's a choice.
There are a lot of contradictions involved in the anti-vaccine movement. People who would rather watch their children die from measles than have autism. People who would rather die themselves than get a vaccine, because they think the vaccine will harm their health in some capacity.
That’s the category Ken Long of Eaton, Ohio, falls into, because the 54-year-old veteran is literally choosing to die rather than get a vaccine so he can get a heart transplant … because he thinks the vaccine will give him heart problems. Also because of his “personal religious beliefs.”
"When I decide something, I mean it, and if it takes dying, it's what it is," Long told KOMO TV. "They don't know enough about it, and plus it's already done a lot of damage. People have said blood clots. There are known cardiac issues.”
“And our personal religious beliefs!” his wife Christina added, without explaining what on earth those religious beliefs are. Given that even Christian Scientists are not opposed to vaccines and the couple doesn’t appear to be either Hasidic or Amish, it’s unclear what those would even be.
Via KOMO:
"I don't want to die because I got a granddaughter and my wife and everything and my kids, but I believe so hard with not taking the vaccine that I'm willing to die for," Long said.
By sharing his story, Long hopes to influence hospitals to change their vaccination policies.
"I'm 54 years old, but there are kids out there right now that are sick, and they're over there with beliefs of not vaccinating, and that's why I'm doing this," Long said. "It's more important for these kids to have the opportunity to live."
Except for how having a heart transplant affects one’s immune system, meaning that a kid “with beliefs of not vaccinating” would have a far greater chance of dying from COVID (or measles, or the flu, or any illness really).
Long is far from the first to pull this. Just last week, 12-year-old Adaline Deal, a distant family member of JD Vance, was denied a heart transplant because her parents claimed it was against their religion as “non-denominational Christians.” There is not, to anyone’s knowledge, a single thing in the Bible about vaccines.
Because the hospital could not, in good conscience, give Long a heart, they gave him a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) to pump blood to his heart.
"I can hardly do anything. If the power goes out, I have to worry about my batteries and my charger," Long said. "You can't get wet, so showering is an issue."
So this man is willing to die and willing to smell just to avoid getting a vaccine. And, if you can believe it, it gets even more stupid than that! While Christ Hospital refuses to give him a heart transplant, there are, apparently, some places that will. Long, however, will not go to them, because he wants to make a point.
"Do we want to switch hospitals to save his life? No," Christina said. "We would hope that Christ would continue to see him and grant him a transplant and recognize that this is his personal choice."
In a video interview with Long and his wife Christina, Ohio Advocates for Medical Freedom President Stephanie Stock called the situation “vaccine status discrimination” and suggested that the treatment Long received was “punishment” for not taking the vaccine. Because, of course, what doctors are concerned about is hurting his feelings or ensuring that Bill Gates can track his whereabouts at any given time. Not that it’s literally a health issue or anything.
As Christ Hospital explained:
At The Christ Hospital Health Network, the goal with any organ transplant is to focus on helping each patient have long-term success and live a long and healthy life post surgery.
Our expert multidisciplinary team of physicians, psychologists, care coordinators and social workers carefully evaluate each individual to determine their eligibility and placement on the waiting list. Organ donation is a gift from another patient and family, and it is our responsibility to ensure that the gift is used with the maximum chance of success once transplanted.
Patients who receive transplants will be immunosuppressed for the rest of their lives. Vaccines play a vital role in mitigating a patient’s risk of life-threatening infections especially in the first year after transplant. Decisions about eligibility for transplantation involve discussions between our providers, the patient and their family and are always made in the best interest of the patient following established national guidelines for organ transplant.
There are lots of reasons why someone might be denied a heart transplant. If they have a drug problem, if they have other health problems, then they can’t get a transplant, because there just is not an endless supply of quality organs for those who need them, and they need to go to the people they will help for the longest amount of time.
We all understand that these people think vaccines are bad, that they think they will cause them harm of some kind, but that’s not factually true and no one should have to waste a heart because they want to have their ridiculous beliefs coddled.
[KOMO]
PREVIOUSLY ON WONKETTE!
I am a heart transplant recipient, sixteen years out. I thank my donor family and my transplant team every day. I take my immune suppressants and other meds faithfully. And you can believe I get every vaccine and booster that becomes available to someone my age. There aren’t a lot of donor hearts out there. They don’t waste them on people who don’t plan to take care of them and respect their donors’ legacies.
“"Do we want to switch hospitals to save his life? No," Christina said. "We would hope that Christ would continue to see him and grant him a transplant and recognize that this is his personal choice."”
I think we’re missing the obvious point here. Which is that his wife just doesn’t like him very much. 🤷🏻♀️