Sheila Lewis, denied transplant due to vaccination status, passes away

Sheila Annette Lewis, denied an organ transplant because of her Covid-19 vaccination status, has sadly passed away.

Alberta left her for dead because of her vaccination status, and now it’s tragically too late. Sheila passed away in the morning hours of August 24, leaving her friends and family to grieve for her loss.

She was known as a courageous fighter, and an inspiration to other Canadians and their families, dealing with denied treatment due to their vaccination status.

Diagnosed with a terminal condition in 2019, Sheila needed an organ transplant to survive. She applied and was initially approved for an organ transplant in Canada, quite literally next in line to receive the vital transplant she needed to survive.

Doctors described how eager they were to perform the transplant, but soon the incoming Covid-19 pandemic would change that. With the introduction of vaccine mandates, doctors began to refuse treatment those who would not take the Covid shot.

Sheila’s doctors then demanded she take this new vaccine in addition to all the childhood vaccines she had been re-administered in preparation for organ transplant, but she refused. She had done everything else required of her in preparation for the operation, but would not take the shot.

Sheila was concerned about safety risks, given the hasty introduction of the Covid vaccines, and specifically due to her diagnosis, she had additional concerns.

There was a publication ban implemented soon after, preventing some details of this story from being revealed. The names of the doctors involved, the hospital in question and the organ Sheila needed to survive cannot be revealed at this time.

The ban stems from Sheila's first legal action against AHS and the doctors involved, wherein the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms brought a charter rights violation challenge to the provincial courts of Alberta, demanding Sheila be placed back on the transplant list.

This fight was escalated to the Supreme Court, which dismissed her case and awarded AHS the legal costs, siding with the Lower Court’s decision to negate the charter violation applications reasonings.

At the same time, as an alternative to the Canadian tax-paid healthcare system, Sheila was seeking a transplant by international means, which would have cost her family hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Shortly after this news from the Supreme Court, Sheila retained Umar Sheikh of Sheikh Law, to file a medical malpractice lawsuit against AHS and doctors involved.

Not long after, AHS and doctors came to an agreement with Sheila that was deemed satisfactory to all parties. This agreement was confidential, so we don’t know what was provided, perhaps granted a spot back on the transplant list, or a financial settlement amicable to Sheila’s needs.

Though this may have been good news for Sheila, who also found this agreement satisfactory, it was too late.

She fought bravely in the fight for her life, and succeeded in making AHS and her doctors submit to her medical malpractice lawsuit. This was a win for Sheila but at the same time, her five-year battle with a terminal diagnosis was ongoing.

Every day was valuable time she didn’t have, putting her in more and more need of the organ transplant that would keep her alive.

AHS and doctors waited years before coming to the table with Sheila, time that could have been spent getting her the treatment she needed to stay alive.

Ultimately they chose another path, allowing Sheila’s terminal diagnosis to strip her family of the mother and grandmother they loved dearly.

SIGN THE PETITION: Canadians shouldn't be denied lifesaving organ transplants because of their vaccine status.