Anti-Vaxxer Teacher Kicked Off Kidney Transplant List, Says He'd 'Rather Die' Than Get Vaccine

Another person whose life literally depends on being vaccinated is saying he'd rather die than get the shot. Shamgar Connors, 42, is a middle school teacher from Virginia with stage five kidney disease.

He’s on dialysis for 12 hours a day and needs a kidney transplant to survive.

However, the University of Virginia Hospital system is telling him that without the vaccine, he can’t get the transplant.

“I'd rather die of kidney failure than get the vaccine,” Shamgar told his doctor in a phone conversation.

He doubled down on the decision in an interview with Inside Edition. 

“I just wanted to make it very clear that yeah, ultimately, if that's the hard choice that has to be made, I’m never getting this vaccine. Never. I don't care what they say, what anyone says. I’m not doing it,” Shamgar said.

Shamgar has two children, and his wife Lauren, a nurse, is also an anti-vaxxer.

“I'm fighting this battle not just for myself, but for everyone, even the people who disagree with me. Because what they don't understand is today it's me, tomorrow it's you,” he continued.

Hospitals across America are insisting that transplant patients get fully vaccinated before surgery, and they mean business. 

Desperate patients are being taken off transplant lists if they refuse. Vaccinated patients have a better chance of survival, so they’re given priority. 

Michele Vitullo was scheduled for a life-saving liver transplant at the Cleveland Clinic. Her daughter Angela was willing to donate her liver, but the surgery was canceled when both of them refused to be vaccinated. Now, she is dead.

Disinformation on social media has been a critical factor in the anti-vax movement. One study found just 12 individuals are responsible for almost two-thirds of the misinformation online.

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