The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) said Alberta organ transplant patient Sheila Annette Lewis’ demand letter about her natural immunity exemption was denied. .“AHS (Alberta Health Services) and the transplant doctors’ failure to recognize Ms. Lewis’ natural immunity to COVID-19 as an acceptable alternative to COVID-19 vaccination is truly shocking,” said JCCF-funded lawyer Allison Pejovic in a Friday press release. .“If the WHO declared the pandemic is over, the CDC acknowledged infection-induced from COVID-19 infection has reduced hospitalizations and deaths in the US, and Ms. Lewis has proven she has strong antibodies against COVID-19 from two previous infections, there is no scientific basis which to deny her a transplant.” .Lewis filed a court application to the Supreme Court of Canada in January, asking it to hear her case against a vaccine mandate for organ transplant patients. .READ MORE: Edmonton woman denied transplant over vax status to head to Supreme Court.AHS and six doctors removed her from a high-priority organ transplant wait list because she refused to take COVID-19 vaccines..She is dying of a terminal illness. She's been challenging the constitutionality of vaccine mandates for transplant candidates put in place by AHS, an Alberta hospital, and six transplant doctors for more than one year..The JCCF announced April 18 Lewis’ counsel sent a demand letter requesting doctors accept her natural immunity to COVID-19 as an alternative to vaccination by April 21. .READ MORE: Alberta woman denied organ transplant because of vax status sends written plea.“The transplant program team, AHS, and the hospital ought to accept Ms. Lewis’ natural immunity to COVID-19 as an alternative to COVID-19 vaccination and reinstate her to the high priority transplant list immediately,” said Pejovic. .She provided her doctors in the Alberta Transplant Program with a privately-funded medical report establishing she has strong natural immunity to COVID-19 and overcame previous infections. .Lewis’ doctors responded to the letter April 21. In their response, they declined her request to be reinstated to Status Two on the transplant wait list, as they continue to require COVID-19 vaccination prior to transplant surgery. .They failed to provide any reasoning as to why they would not accept her natural immunity to COVID-19 as an alternative. They did not clarify how many doses they required as part of their program, despite her making this request. .AHS replied to the demand letter on April 25. It took the position the decision to require vaccination was made by her treating physicians, and it did not say whether or not it would exempt from its requirement..In its response, AHS took the position it has no formal policy in place relating to vaccination of transplant patients, yet the doctors’ sworn evidence in her lawsuit confirmed it required it effective 2021. This same evidence revealed a transplant doctor told her she was ineligible for a transplant “until either the pandemic was over or she was vaccinated.” .Pejovic concluded by saying Canadians “ought to have confidence their medical system is there to preserve their health and save their life when they need it most.” .“AHS’s and the transplant doctors’ treatment of Ms. Lewis is deplorable,” she said.
