Sherry Eyer Breen is pictured with her sons, 16-year-old Ross and 14-year-old Stiles, and her husband Andy, 45.
Unvaccinated Transplant Patient Makes Other Lists
MUNCY – An immunocompromised woman from Muncy had been waiting years to move to the top of Geisinger’s kidney transplant list…but her refusal to get the COVID vaccine had made her ineligible for a transplant there.
After 40-year-old Sherry Eyer Breen shared her story, she’s now on lists for four different transplant centers – even though it had been Geisinger’s goal to refer her elsewhere, “That was something I was waiting on them to do, but it just seemed to never get done.”
“But then the story came out on the news, and literally in two days, all of those hospitals or transplant centers called me to get on their list, and I verified I don’t need the vaccine.”
Breen is registered across the UPMC system, meaning a transplant could be performed at UPMC Williamsport. Other hospitals include University of Pennsylvania, Temple University Hospital, and Penn State Hershey. Breen says her husband and two sons are also unvaccinated. She says when the vaccine first came out; Geisinger physians advised her not to get the shot, not knowing if it would be okay for her immune system.
Geisinger physicians also recommended no one in her household get vaccinated, “This new vaccine helps your body create a spike protein against this specific virus. They didn’t know if my family getting the vaccine could then cause issues with me with my immune system, because viral loads are transferrable. Well then as more information came out about the vaccine they said you and your family should get the vaccine…well what has changed in the last four to six months that you want us to get it?”
Breen says she, her husband and two sons all got the virus last fall, which almost killed her. Breen has also had several organ failures in the last twenty years after being diagnosed with Lyme Disease when she was younger.
Breen, who is on dialysis, says she’s not saying she’ll never get vaccinated, but feels it’s not the best decision for her at this point, “I’m not mad at Geisinger. I understand they have guidelines and rules and they’re trying to do what they feel is best to protect themselves and their physicians and their hospital and their patients. I just don’t necessarily agree with their method of doing that.”
Geisinger says their vaccine requirement for all transplant patients is based on overwhelming data, and is similar to other requirements for transplant patients prior to surgery. Breen says she remains very thankful for all Geisinger has done for her in her many prior health battles.
