JD Vance makes last-minute intervention after cousin was denied heart transplant because she is unvaccinated

Vice President JD Vance has vowed to help his relative get a heart transplant after she was rejected for being unvaccinated against Covid.

Twelve-year-old Adaline Deal has a rare heart defect that puts her at risk of sudden heart failure and stops her body from circulating oxygen properly.

The girl would be eligible for a heart transplant but because her parents refuse to vaccinate her against Covid, Cincinnati Children's hospital in Ohio has declined to add her to its transplant waiting list.

The hospital said it requires vaccines to protect transplant recipients from viruses because they will require anti-rejection immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of their lives which makes them vulnerable to severe infections.

Adaline's mother Jeneen Deal - whose son is married to Vance's half-sister - issued a desperate plea on DailyMail.com last week saying she 'doesn't know how long' her daughter has left.

Now, the vice president has told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview he plans to step in and help the family. 'We just found out about a couple days ago, actually,' said Vance.

'I guess it's been circulating on social media, but I was made aware of a couple days ago, and we're trying to dig in and trying to help, obviously, as much as possible. It is a distant relative, but somebody I care about. So we're trying to figure out exactly what's going on.'

Responding to the vice president's comments, Jeneen added: 'That's so awesome... like so hopeful that he knows about it, and that he's aware of it.

'Hopefully he'll get aware of the bill [in Congress], so maybe it'll get some more attention because it's so important for this bill to get passed.'

Jeneen, from Indiana, said she is not seeking 'special treatment' but is urging the government to allow everyone who needs one to get a transplant regardless of their vaccination status.

She told this website: 'I pray that President Trump and all of the states will stand up for everyone facing vaccination status [discrimination] due to their conscientious and religious beliefs.'

A bill introduced in Congress in 2023 is seeking to prohibit federal funds from being given to entities that refuse to provide treatment based on Covid-19 vaccination status.

Jeneen added: 'Maybe congress [members] will step up and pass this bill. It's so important.

'I'm so excited that [DailyMail.com] was able to ask [JD Vance] and that he knows about her. That's just wonderful.'

Adaline's family is refusing to vaccinate her against flu and Covid because of their religious beliefs, though she has had some routine childhood vaccinations.

Jeneen told this website they were given to her in China before her family adopted her and additional ones were given while going through the adoption process.

But the family has never given the girl any others.

The mom told this website: 'We're just in a different way. [We] walked with the Lord. The Holy Spirit is on us. We weren't like that - we didn't have a relationship with the Lord like we do now, so it's different.'

Adaline has a condition called Ebstein's anomaly, in which a valve in her heart does not work properly — meaning blood can flow backwards.

She also has Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome, a condition that causes the heart to beat abnormally fast for periods of time. The right side of her heart is also greatly enlarged.

Janeen said the girl doesn't understand what is going on because she is cognitively delayed. She only knows 'her heart makes her sick... and not be able to do things.'

The mom told this website: 'I've tried to explain it to her that "You're going to get a new heart and you'll feel better"

'I don't know if she really knows what's going on, but she just knows that her mom and dad love her and would do anything for her.'

One doctor on Adaline's care team has signed off on the girl receiving a transplant without the vaccines. However, there are multiple doctors on the transplant team that would need to approve the girl's surgery.

Jeneen told DailyMail.com she isn't sure how many and she hasn't met most of them but is trying to work with the hospital to have them sign letters of approval.

Currently, doctors have said Adaline is stable and at her doctors appointment last week she was 'smiling and talking more to the doctor.'

However, there is always concern Adaline could quickly decline.

People with her condition live to around 37 years old on average, but studies show they have a significantly higher risk of heart failure and sudden death.

Jeneen said her daughter is doing much better than when she first entered treatment, largely due to a medication called Lasix, which drains excess fluid from around the heart.

The medication drained 7lbs of fluid from around her heart, which 'has really helped her,' and she has been able to return to school fulltime.

Jeneen said: 'She loves people and being around people and people have been sending gifts in the mail and she just thinks that is amazing.'

Because of Adaline's stable condition, doctors say she would be put toward the bottom of the transplant list and suggested they wait and run more tests to decide when would be the right time to add her name to the list should she receive her flu and Covid vaccine and become eligible.

Adaline is being treated at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio.

Responding to the case, the hospital said it evaluates every transplant patient with a 'focus on long-term success', adding that the availability of organs for transplantation is limited.

DailyMail.com has reached out to the hospital for further comment.

Jeneen told this website the family is exploring transferring her daughter's care to another hospital where there are no Covid and flu vaccination requirements.