In a truly sad turn of events, Sheila Annette Lewis, an Alberta-based mother and dedicated grandmother, has passed away.
Her situation drew significant attention both domestically and internationally when her choice not to receive the Covid vaccine prevented her from obtaining an essential organ transplant.
Lewis first became critically ill in 2019 and secured a spot on the organ transplant donor list the following year. Prior to this listing, the hospital required her to undergo a sequence of childhood vaccinations since her initial vaccination records were missing. Lewis willingly met this demand. Nevertheless, when presented with the additional requirement of getting 2 doses of the Covid vaccine to maintain her place on the list, she expressed reservations. Consequently, this decision led to her removal from the donor list.
In response, Lewis pursued legal actions against the Alberta hospital and its medical professionals. But these efforts came to no avail. Canada’s Supreme Court even flat out refused to hear her appeal.
And so, exploring alternative solutions, Lewis turned to international medical facilities for help, launching a GiveSendGo fundraising campaign. She pinpointed a US hospital, rumoured to be in Florida, that was prepared to perform the transplant surgery. At this point, she had obtained nearly $130,000 of the $600,000 needed to cover procedure costs.
A month or so later, Lewis confirmed that she had settled a distinct negligence case she had initiated against the Alberta medical practitioners months earlier. The settlement's specifics remain confidential to protect all involved parties. Updates on her GiveSendGo page still mentioned the ongoing need for financial support to manage expenses during her medical travels, including accommodation, daily costs, and medicines.
The passing of Sheila Annette Lewis not only underscores the need for radical change to allow patients to promptly strike down unethical, unscientific, and outright illogical healthcare discrimination but also a future where individual choice is treated with empathy, reason, and compassion.
Rest in peace, brave lady, Sheila. It is safe to say, thousands upon thousands will continue your courageous fight for rights and freedoms.
If one of my organs starts quitting, I will just have to accept it. I will never consent to going to a hospital for any reason. Guess I need a forehead tattoo that says so.
Death by bureaucracy. Evil.