BREAKING: Sheila Annette Lewis, the Canadian woman who was denied a life-saving organ transplant over her COVID-19 vaccine refusal, has died

It’s a tragic conclusion to a story that The Canadian Independent worked hard to expose. Her story captured headlines in Canada and around the world. Lewis, a mother and devoted grandmother from Alberta, confronted a daunting reality when her decision to forgo the Covid-19 vaccine created a barrier to a critically needed organ transplant.

Sheila became terminally ill in 2019 and was added to the organ transplant donor list in 2020. Prior to being waitlisted, Lewis had to repeat a series of childhood vaccinations as her vaccination history couldn't be located by the hospital. She willingly complied with this requirement. However, with the emergence of Covid-19 vaccines, Lewis was informed that she needed to receive two shots to remain on the waitlist. Sheila felt uncomfortable about taking the Covid-19 vaccines and was subsequently removed from the transplant donor list.

Her removal from the donor list prompted her to take legal action against the hospital and doctors in Alberta. Despite her persistent efforts in various courts, she was unsuccessful.

Having exhausted all her legal options in Canada, Lewis sought medical assistance abroad and initiated a GiveSendGo fundraising campaign. She identified a hospital in the United States willing to perform the transplant surgery. Lewis managed to raise nearly $130,000 out of her $600,000 goal. The testing and surgery itself were estimated to cost around $600,000.

In an unexpected turn of events, Lewis announced that she had reached a satisfactory settlement with the Alberta doctors. This settlement was related to a separate negligence lawsuit that she and her lawyer had filed several months earlier. However, the terms of the settlement included stringent confidentiality provisions to safeguard all parties involved.

In an update following the settlement on her GiveSendGo page, it was stated that Lewis still required substantial financial assistance. The update said this assistance would cover expenses incurred while Sheila was away from home for medical reasons, such as long-term accommodations, day-to-day living expenses, and medications.

While Sheila Annette Lewis may have left this world, her legacy serves as a call to action—a call to continue the dialogue, advocate for change, and work toward a future where medical decisions are navigated with empathy, understanding, and respect for individual choices.