An unvaccinated veteran of the U.S. military who was denied a transplant has found a solution to save his life.
Air Force veteran Chad Carswell has been given a chance to fight for his life following an ordeal with a North Carolina hospital. The unvaccinated U.S. military veteran was disallowed by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to get a kidney transplant because of his vaccination status. Carswell is a double amputee due to his complications with diabetes and required a kidney transplant.
According to WND, Carswell's kidney function was rated at merely 4%. The U.S. military veteran has had COVID twice even while on dialysis and refused to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. When his story made the news, more than 500 people had expressed their desire to donate a kidney to Carswell.
The problem was, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center refused to operate on the unvaccinated U.S. military veteran. The healthcare system not only required Carswell to be vaccinated against COVID, but any organ donor as well.
Now, Carswell has another chance to save his life. Liberty Counsel, a tax-exempt religious liberty organization that litigates cases related toi evangelical Christian values, confirmed that with the help of their affiliate attorney, the unvaccinated U.S. military veteran was able to find a Texas hospital that agreed to perform his surgery despite his vaccination status. The state of Texas has no COVID vaccine requirements for its transplant patients.
"Carswell told Liberty Counsel that the United Network of Organ Sharing has a set of protocols it recommends hospitals follow to determine viable kidney donation candidates," Liberty Counsel explained. "[United Network for Organ Sharing] UNOS recommends that no one refusing to take the vaccine be considered a viable candidate for kidney donation."
They also reported how multiple hospitals refused to help Carswell over his vaccination status before a Texas facility opened its doors to the unvaccinated U.S. military veteran.
"No one who needs an organ transplant should be denied because of their decision not to get the COVID shots," Liberty Counsel Chairman Mat Staver argued. "The case of this young Air Force veteran is even more shameful because of his service to our country. People should not be forced to choose between their life and their religious beliefs."
The 38 year old Carswell told Fox News in early February that his parents, family, and friends understand his refusal to get the COVID vaccine. The unvaccinated U.S. military veteran, who is the eldest of four siblings, explained that he is "not anti-vax" and that his decision "isn't political."
Instead, Carswell said, "I'm all about choice" and that those who believe that the COVID vaccines are good for them should get the shots, saying, "by all means, do whatever you need to do. You're not wrong."
But the unvaccianted U.S. military veteran explained that his refusal to take the COVID vaccine is "the exact same thing as you choosing to do what you feel is right for you." He concluded, "I'm not wrong, either."
Carswell, who like other vaccine detractors, explained further that he does not believe that COVID vaccines work but instead believes that "natural immunities are very, very key to COVID" and that because he was infected with the coronavirus twice has made him naturally immune to the virus.
