A mother is speaking out after she says her 12-year-old daughter was denied a place on the heart transplant list at Cincinnati Children's Hospital because of her vaccination status.
Brayton and Jeneen Deal, who adopted Adaline from China, said she was born with two heart conditions that will now require a transplant.
When the Deals were in the process of adopting Adaline, the adoption agency told them to pick another child because "her heart was so bad, she wasn't going to make it," they wrote in a GoFundMe campaign.
"We continued to support Adaline so she could stay in a foster home, but shortly after we arrived home with our other adopted child, the agency stopped taking the funds out of our account," they wrote. "So, we thought she had passed away."
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After starting the process a second time to adopt from China, the Deals saw Adaline was still in the system.
They brought her home, where they said she excelled - despite her medical challenges.
However, Jeneen Deal said her health has started to decline over the last few months.
"Since we brought her home, she's been in and out of the Cincinnati Children's Hospital," the family wrote. "She has grown so much that now her heart can't sustain her. She is now to the point where she will be needing a heart transplant."
Stephanie Stock, president of Ohio Advocates for Medical Freedom, posted a video to Facebook speaking with Jeneen Deal about why Adaline is not yet on the list.
"The doctors at Cincinnati Children's were talking with us and told us that one of the requirements [for being] put on the list is to have the COVID vaccination and the flu vaccination," Deal said. "That is against everything we believe in."
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The family said they asked for a religious exemption, but the hospital declined - citing its transplant policy.
Stock claimed the hospital's policy is based on recommendations from the National Institution of Health (NIH), which she described as "discriminatory."
"I can't think of anything more horrible than denying a child a heart transplant or a kidney because of their vaccination status," Stock said.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Deal said there isn't much they can do beyond pleading with the hospital.
"We really don't have many options," she said. "We're just hoping that we can change their minds."
Deal noted the family never experienced an issue with previous treatments.
Since sharing their story, the family said the hospital has received a number of calls advocating for Adaline.
The family claims the hospital has yet to put the denial in writing, and lawyers are not yet involved.
While Adaline is cognitively delayed, her mother said she can tell something is wrong.
"She knows mom is upset, and she knows something's going on," Deal said. "She knows her heart is really sick because she doesn't feel good, and she doesn't want to go to school or do basic things like taking a shower or play on her iPod… She knows mom is crying a lot, and she'll say, 'it's OK mom' and pat me on the back."
Still, they remain faithful.
"I tell her, God's going to get us through this," Deal said. "It's just such a process. I never dreamed it would be this difficult, especially with a religious exemption."
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Cincinnati Children's provided a statement to Fox News on Thursday night noting the safety of its protocols.
"At Cincinnati Children's, clinical decisions are guided by science, research, and best practices," the hospital wrote. "We tailor care plans to each patient in collaboration with their family to ensure the safest, most effective treatment."
A GoFundMe campaign was set up to help raise money for the heart transplant process, according to the family.
