Update: Vaccine mandate may deny NJ man kidney transplant

Last month we wrote about Scott Pearson, a 54-year-old Howell man who is on the waiting list for a kidney transplant.

He and his wife were informed by Johns Hopkins that both he and any potential donor would be required to be vaccinated against COVID to be eligible for a transplant. The stated deadline is Jan. 1, less than a month away.

Scott and his wife have gotten 3 of his doctors to write a letter of exemption in order to keep him on the list with Johns Hopkins. A few of his doctors agree that there is no good reason for the mandate for such a procedure and some of the doctors themselves are not vaccinated, nor plan to be anytime soon.

Almost two years ago, Scott was accepted into the Robert Wood Johnson kidney transplant team. They as-of-yet have not put the same mandate into place, but the Pearson's are worried.

It's tough enough as it is to be on a transplant list with all of the testing and doctor's visits, without adding more to it. We are rapidly losing our freedoms and most importantly our medical freedoms and the ability to make choices for our own health.

If you would like to see if you can help in some way, Scott and his wife Tami would be eternally grateful to say the least.

If you would be open to taking the first step toward screening to see if you could be Scott’s match, please fill out this form and state Scott Pearson as the intended recipient.

Scott is blood type O and while his ideal match would be the same, it is not the deciding factor. All types are welcome and if you don’t know what you are that will be your first test. Thank you.

All medical expenses are paid in full through Scott’s insurance.

You do NOT need to live in NJ to be Scott’s life-saving donor.

Your testing can be done locally to your home. You also set the schedule - it’s all in your hands and control.

Once you do please email:

Jami Abes at Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health:
Jami.Abes@rwjbh.org
Or call her at 732-253-3338

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy only.

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