Young Ontario Father of Five Dies After Being Refused Kidney Transplant Over COVID-19 Vaccine Refusal

Sudbury, Ontario - The heart-wrenching story of Garnet Harper, a 35-year-old father of five from Sudbury, Ontario, has shed light on the difficult choices individuals face when grappling with severe health conditions and COVID-19 vaccine requirements. In February 2022, after a blood test, Garnet received a devastating diagnosis of stage 5 kidney disease, also known as end-stage renal failure, leaving his life hanging in the balance.

The Canadian Independent spoke with Meghan, Garnet's wife, to hear his story. Meghan recounted how Garnet had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the tender age of nine, and early last year, he began experiencing abnormally high blood pressure during a self-check at home. Blood tests confirmed the worst: Garnet was in the advanced stages of kidney disease.

Seeking answers and expert guidance, Garnet was referred to a kidney specialist, with whom he had a phone appointment with in March 2022. The specialist advised him to consider dialysis and even suggested he would be an ideal candidate for a kidney transplant, given his young age and overall good health. However, Garnet, who believed in the power of natural remedies, initially declined dialysis, hoping to cleanse and heal his kidneys through alternative means.

During the phone call, the specialist inquired about Garnet's COVID-19 vaccine status, to which Garnet chose not to disclose. Garnet was in fact unvaccinated against COVID-19. Nonetheless, the kidney specialist proceeded with a referral to a prominent London, Ontario hospital to initiate the kidney transplant process.

However, two months later, Garnet received a devastating email from the hospital's Kidney Transplant Team, informing him that his refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine rendered him ineligible for assessment. This decision effectively dashed his hopes of being placed on the transplant list.

Two of Garnet's brothers even stepped forward and were willing to be living donors, but no doctor or hospital was willing to do the surgery.

As Garnet's health continued to decline, he found himself with no alternative but to undergo dialysis in the fall of 2022. His procedure was riddled with challenges. Upon his arrival at a Sudbury hospital to commence dialysis, a surgeon declined to perform the procedure due to Garnet's mask exemption. After several hours, another empathetic doctor from the hospital intervened, mediated the situation, and ultimately, the initial doctor who had previously refused stepped in to carry out the dialysis surgery.

Meghan alleges that the surgery may have been mishandled, as Garnet's health rapidly declined shortly after the dialysis procedure at the Sudbury hospital. Garnet suffered from a staph infection, sepsis, heart problems, a collapsed lung, and temporary paralysis. Tragically, these developments now completely rendered Garnet ineligible for a kidney transplant, irrespective of his vaccination status, leaving him with a life-threatening situation and limited options.

Despite the uphill battle, Garnet displayed remarkable resilience and determination. Slowly but steadily, he fought back, even learning to walk again, impressing his kidney specialist enough to be considered for home dialysis.

However, Garnet's courageous fight came to a tragic end in May 2023, when he passed away from a hemorrhagic stroke. His untimely demise left behind his wife of 12 years and their five young children. Meghan firmly believes that the health complications stemming from the in-hospital dialysis surgery may have contributed to Garnet's fatal stroke.

Amid the grief of losing her beloved husband, Meghan was stunned when the same transplant program that denied Garnet a kidney transplant contacted her, requesting his unvaccinated organs. Meghan declined, expressing concerns about the perceived inequity within the organ donation program.

Meghan believes that what happened to her husband was filled with medical malpractice and negligence, and she intends to take legal action against those involved. She tells The Canadian Independent that she “wants to see a legal precedent set in this country” and that “she won't be bought, paid for, and silenced.” She further added that “she won't be paid to be quiet about what happened to her husband; as long as a lawyer will take her case and she can afford it, she will fight it all the way.”

The Canadian Independent did connect Meghan with a lawyer who specializes in this type of situation and will continue to monitor this story and bring you any developments along the way.

You can donate to Garnets legal defense fund at the link below.

https://www.givesendgo.com/keeppounding

Garnet Harper’s celebration of life was held on July 15, 2023, you can watch it here.

You can watch a video memorial of Garnet Harper here.