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Why This LA Mom And Her Two Teens Volunteered For COVID-19 Vaccine Trials
In 2013, Mark Deetjen had a simultaneous kidney and pancreas transplant.
The organs worked until 2020 when his body began to reject the new liver, which caused a heart attack.
Deetjen’s recovering, but the medications he takes suppress his immune system, leaving him very vulnerable to infection. As coronavirus cases surged, his wife and two teenagers came up with a way to try to protect him -- volunteer for experimental COVID-19 vaccine trials.
“It just feels like you're being part of the solution, not part of the problem,” said his 15-year-old daughter Aubry Deetjen.
READ OUR FULL STORY ON THE FAMILY’S DECISION HERE:
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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