Anti-vaccine supporters of a woman denied a place on the heart transplant list over her unvaccinated status are fundraising to send her overseas for a transplant despite her quickly deteriorating health.
Vicki Derderian has been on life support since her heart failed in 2020. She claims her refusal to take a COVID-19 or flu vaccine meant she has been denied a place on the heart transplant list. Her high-profile case has become a cause célèbre of the anti-vaccine movement and has featured on mainstream media platforms such as the Today breakfast program and 2GB’s Ben Fordham Live.
Alfred Health has said that vaccination status is one factor in the decision about whether to list a patient for transplants. The Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand lists noncompliance with vaccination as an exclusion criteria.
Derderian appealed the decision to VCAT, advocated for by anti-vaccine former lawyer Serene Teffaha who has repeatedly launched class actions against COVID-19 restrictions. After her closing statements, however, Teffaha said Derderian is now suffering lung and kidney failure and is ineligible for a heart transplant even if the appeal was successful in VCAT.
“There is absolutely no more value for Vicki in this case so back to the drawing board for pathways forward,” Teffaha said on Telegram.
Since then, anti-vaccine have come up with a new plan for Derderian: raise money for the mother of two to go to another country where she can receive a transplant while still unvaccinated.
Derderian supporters have begun promoting a July musical fundraiser as first noticed by Twitter account @ExposingNV. The organiser did not respond to requests for comment about the event or the likelihood that Derderian would be able to receive an overseas transplant, especially considering her failing health.
Teffaha has since updated her online followers that Derderian had returned to hospital but was hoping to be released today: “May God give us the patience to come to terms with our lot and destiny in life and in death.”
Teffaha did not respond to a request for comment.
