Cleveland Clinic announced the policy earlier this week, just days before Mike Ganim was set to go in for surgery to get a kidney transplant.

“The kidneys were so profound with cysts that they just pressed and pressed and pressed on his main vein and it bottlenecked it and it went all the way down into his leg,” said Debi Ganim, Mike Ganim’s wife.

Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic told the Ganims there was no time to waste–Mike Ganim needed a kidney transplant.

George said she was shocked and overjoyed by the news that she was a match.

But Friday—five days before the operation—Cleveland Clinic called the Ganims to tell them that it was being put on hold because George isn’t vaccinated for COVID-19, even though Mike Ganim is.

“It was never an issue, and not one doctor out of those doctors we've met with mentioned that it was an issue except for the pulmonary doctor who just tried to persuade me to get the shot and that was about a month ago,” said George.

George said the news about the policy has been devastating not only to the Ganims, but to her family as well.

The clinic is making what I feel is a big mistake,” said George.

In a statement, Cleveland Clinic said patients currently on the transplant waiting list for a deceased donor have until Nov.

Debi Ganim said her husband’s team is trying to come up with another solution, like having George’s surgery take place at another hospital and the kidney flown to the Clinic, but she believes there should be a grace period for people who have surgeries already scheduled.

George said she’s not going anywhere, and will do anything she can to help the Ganims.

Debi Ganim said her husband is optimistic that the Clinic will come up with an alternative solution for this issue, but she’s worried that if the surgery is delayed for too long, they will not be able to use George as their donor.

I'm just so afraid,” said Debi Ganim.

In a statement to News 5, Cleveland Clinic said:.