A dad-of-two has been told he only has five years left to live after he was refused a heart transplant because he is unvaccinated against Covid-19.
DJ Ferguson, 31, has now had a mechanical heart pump, also known as a left ventricular assist device, fitted which should last for up to five years.
Ferguson was admitted to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, USA in November because he has a hereditary condition causing his heart and lungs to fill with blood and fluid.
His mum Tracey, dad David and girlfriend Heather Dawson spoke to Fox News to share their worry on Wednesday night.
David said: "He had to get the vaccine in order to get that transplant.
"His heart deteriorated so much, so quickly, that they had to resort to open heart surgery and doing the L-VAD (left ventricular assist device) mechanical pump.
"So now my boy has a pump - he's in recovery. He went through seven hours of surgery."
Mum Tracey said the family are "devastated" by the news and explained her son got out of open heart surgery yesterday.
She added everyone is trying to stay "hopeful".
Tracey spoke to ABC News to say that her son is not an "anti-vaxxer" as he "has all of his vaccines", but it's just that he's concerned about the Covid jab "because of his current cardiac crisis".
Ferguson is worried about the risk of inflammation of the heart from the Covid vaccine, although doctor's have said the risk of getting coronavirus is a lot more severe than a temporary inflammation of the heart.
David Ferguson, however, said that to his son getting vaccinated is "kind of against his basic principles", according to the Daily Mail.
He said having principles that "he really believes in" makes him respect his son "all the more".
Heather, Ferguson's girlfriend, said they had been through a "terrible" ordeal.
She said it's a shame because his nurses and doctors have been "amazing", but added that it was upsetting to have the possibility of a transplant "dangled over her head" only to have it taken away.
The hospital explained that Ferguson had to be taken off the donor list because vaccines are needed to "create both the best chance for successful operation and also the patient's survival after transplantation".
Heather continued that Ferguson was already in a high risk category for the jab due to his heart problems.
She wrote a long update on Go Fund Me on January 25 to share the latest update on Ferguson's health.
"After almost 50 days in the hospital with no answers, DJ was finally seen by some of the best cardiac specialists last week," she said.
"After running countless tests and scans we learned that DJ is now in severe end stage heart failure, meaning that he is going to need a heart transplant to live. On top of the heart failure his heart is extremely swollen and dilated.
"The good news is that he went through all the testing to be put on the transplant list and passed with flying colors since he's young and healthy aside from the heart failure. With that being said he was accepted to be a candidate for heart transplant.
"The bad news is that the transplant board will not actively list him due to his vaccination status."
The hospital has protocols including a ban on alcohol and smoking and a requirement for the Covid vaccine for people needing transplants - which is common across the country.
You can donate to DJ Ferguson's Go Fund Me here.
