Earlier this summer, we were contacted by Dr. Samara Cardenas. Her story left us speechless:
Dr. Samara Cardenas immigrated to California from Cuba in 1967, at age 19. She started medical school at UC Irvine in 1972, and completed her residency in 1978. Six months later, she started her own pediatric practice in Anaheim where she has been ever since. After 45 years of dedicating her practice to her community, Dr. Cardenas has now been stripped of her patients and the majority of her income. Her crime? Refusal to administer the COVID-19 vaccine.
“My practice has always served very low-income Hispanic families,” explains Dr. Cardenas. Most of Dr. Cardenas’ patients come through CalOptima, a publicly funded HMO plan for low-income citizens for Orange County, and CHOC, Children’s Hospital of Orange County. Prior to Covid-19, Dr. Cardenas was a long-standing member of her professional community, and followed the mandatory guidelines for vaccination to attend school in CA, though she questioned the need for so many vaccines, particularly the HPV and the Hepatitis B vaccine “so early.”
COVID-19 vaccine: brand-new technology, no-questions allowed
“COVID-19 was a game-changer. Too many rules. No questions allowed, and a brand-new vaccine technology, with unaccounted-for side effects. I had to review my thinking after 45 years.”
After researching the pros and cons, Dr. Cardenas decided against the vaccine, not only for her patients, but for herself and her family. Not long after the vaccine rollout, she began witnessing the tragic side-effects. Now when she has to conduct a sports physical clearance exam, she sends all of her COVID-19 vaccinated patients to a cardiologist and for blood work.
Many of them come back with abnormal blood tests: their clotting factors are severely elevated, which means these kids will be prone to blood clots. I never used to do this before, and I still don’t do this with the unvaccinated because they are not at risk.”
“I have (a patient), a seven year old girl with three Covid shots who had a stroke. Her mom and dad asked me if I thought the stroke could be due to the vaccine? I said, ‘Yes, absolutely. And I’m sorry you gave it to your daughter.’ We cried together. That poor seven year old girl will never be normal. She had no problems prior.”
Dr. Cardenas’ Professional Standing and Subsequent Consequences
A long-standing member of CHOC who served on the Board from its inception in 1995 – 2012, and a member of the Board of Supervisors for CalOptima from 2012 – 2016, Dr. Cardenas did not foresee or encounter any issues with her decision to not offer the Covid-19 vaccine in her practice until September, 2023 when she received a letter from Vaccines for Children (VFC), a federally-funded program through the CDC, directing her to order and administer the CV-19 vaccine to children starting at 6 months of age.
Dr. Cardenas did not comply. “I could not vaccinate children with the CV19 vaccine just because the government told me so. Mortality (for COVID-19) in children is 1 in 2 million.”
Communism in Medicine
Dr. Cardenas had already “left $100,000 on the table with this decision. My colleagues make $25,000 yearly just by offering the COVID-19 vaccine.” But now, the State took a much harsher stance, and when her office manager went to place the order for the usual childhood vaccines, VFC denied her order unless she also ordered the COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Cardenas terminated her contract with VFC and opted to become an entirely vaccine-free practice, starting in January, 2024. During the next few months, Dr. Cardenas spoke at length with CalOptima and CHOC regarding her decision, “both of whom assured me that I could maintain a vaccine-free practice.”Then suddenly, without warning, Dr. Cardenas received her termination letters from CalOptima and CHOC. Beginning July, 2024, she is barred from serving her community.
“What could I do? All I want to do is practice good medicine, and for them to take my patients away is unfair, and that’s exactly what they are doing. They want me to just be a soldier and follow orders.”
By terminating her contracts, Dr. Cardenas has suddenly lost over 80% of her patients and her income. She has had to cut down her staff and her hours and now faces an uncertain future. Dr. Cardenas sees this as Communism, even though many disagree with her. “People tell me this isn’t Communism, and I say, ‘Not yet. But this is how it begins. First they brainwash and threaten you. If you don’t listen, they begin punishing you and if you still don’t listen, you are made to suffer. In my country (Cuba), eventually, you would just disappear.”
Cardenas recalled being forced “into voluntary labor for 12 weeks out of the year. I had to pick coffee in the mountains, cut sugarcane in the fields, and at age 13, walk with sacks of concrete on my back to help build a school. There was no escaping. During this time, anybody who refused to listen to the State was taken away never to be seen again.”
Dr. Cardenas is determined to serve her community. “These are poor people who can’t afford a PPO. Their only option is State-funded medicine, and now they are being subjugated. I’d like to offer an inexpensive monthly fee of $50/month or $25/visit for those that can’t afford the $50/month. This way, I can still serve some of my families. I’m already on-call for them. They can text or call anytime, and I’lll talk to them, whatever time of night. I have a lot of ideas,” she smiles, “I will just stay strong.”
Contact Dr. Cardenas:
SAMARA P CARDENAS MD
1120 W LA PALMA AVE STE 15
ANAHEIM, CA 92801
714-535-6419
Aria Morgan, a UCLA Honors graduate, is a passionate advocate for civil rights, medical freedom, and free expression. As the Director of Content at Free Now Foundation and former Managing Editor of Children’s Health Defense-CA, she brings a wealth of experience to her role. Beyond her role at Free Now Foundation, Aria is a health and wellness educator, helping individuals with injuries and chronic conditions. Her diverse professional experiences are underpinned by her unwavering commitment to protecting individual freedoms and promoting wellness for all.
Wow!…Doctor Cardinas you make me proud!…It’s truly an honor 2 say that!
Good for you, Dr. Cardenas! I’m happy to see you standing up to this tyranny! God bless you 🙏
My name is Dr. Jesus Venereo, I am a medical doctor from Cuba where I practiced as a Pathologist until 1999 when I was really lucky to hit the visa lottery that allowed me to legally migrate with my family to this wonderful country. I have known Dr. Samara Cardenas since I was 7 years old; by the time she finished her medical residency back in 1978, I was beginning my first year at Havana School of Medicine. Like her, I was forced to do “ voluntary labor” starting at age 12, I was forced to lie about religion, I was forced to study Marxism and Military Training as mandatory subjects in my medical career. August 1993 was the year I graduated as a Doctor of Medicine and by 1998 as a Pathologist . I DO KNOW how communism in the health care looks like. I might have different points of view about vaccines than those of Dr. Samara Cardenas but I totally agree with her when she talks about communism in the health care, no one, nobody in this country or any other country in this world, should be allowed to tell a legal doctor what to do with their patients. When you write about Dr. Samara Cardenas, I do know what kind of human been and what kind of human doctor we are talking about right now. I raise my voice for her profesional rights to be respected!
Dr. J. Venereo MD
Dear Dr. J. Venereo,
Thank you so very much for your support, your kindness and for sharing your experience with us. We wish you all the best, sir.
First of all I am so grateful for this doctor standing by her ethics. She can try finding local patients by joining Dpcfrontier. Com I found this through the flccc. Net website I am not affiliated with this in any way. I used them to find a backup doctor for my parents (which they never used 🤷)
Thank you for this information, Karen. I will make sure Dr. Cardenas sees this!
Thank you Dr. Cardenas for your devotion to the health of your patients.
Thank you Dr Cardenas. I know your stand for medical freedom will ultimately save lives. I too lost my 25 year career from Kaiser. They refused to grant me a religious exemption nor recognize my natural immunity earned while on the job. I even joined a natural immunity study. They did not care! When did they stop practicing real medicine? It hurt so much to have to complete their annual diversity trainings while they refused to respect my religious beliefs. I begged to keep my job as the breadwinner of our family of seven. God has better plans for us! Money isn’t everything. I finally found a new job in a private practice. Less pay and benefits, but my heart is happy and my conscious is clear. God Bless You!