A teenager living in North Carolina has been denied life-saving surgery by Duke University Hospital officials because she is unvaccinated against covid-19, leaving her adoptive family frantically searching for alternative treatment options. Yulia Hicks, who suffers from a rare genetic kidney condition called Senior Loken syndrome, was adopted from Ukraine nearly two years ago by her parents Chrissy and Lee Hicks of North Carolina.
Senior Loken syndrome (SLS) is rare and mainly affects the kidneys and eyes and causes nephronophthisis, a disease that slowly impairs the function of the kidneys, according to the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center. Just 1,000 individuals in the United States are estimated to have SLS. Symptoms include chronic kidney disease, delays in motor or mental development, hypertension, and visual impairments, among others.
The teenager requires a transplant, according to her family. However, they claim that she was told on Nov. 11 that she is not eligible to be placed on Duke’s waiting list because she is not vaccinated against covid-19. Speaking to Fox News on Friday, Chrissy Hicks said that hospital staff have shown “no sympathy whatsoever,” regarding her adoptive daughter’s urgent situation and have instead stated that she needs to have the shot if she wants to receive life-saving surgery.