In a chilling incident that has sent shockwaves through the medical community, a man declared brain-dead suddenly regained consciousness on the operating table, just as surgeons were preparing to harvest his organs.
The incident, described as 'everybody's worst nightmare,' occurred at Baptist Health Richmond Hospital in Kentucky in October 2021.
According to the Daily Mail, Thomas 'TJ' Hoover II, 36, was declared brain-dead following a drug overdose. As surgeons prepared to remove his organs for transplantation, Hoover reportedly began to move and cry, causing panic and confusion in the operating room.
"He was thrashing around on the table," said Nyckoletta Martin, a former employee of Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA), who was present during the incident. She claimed that Hoover was merely sedated, not brain-dead as declared. Another former employee, Natasha Miller, corroborated Martin's account, stating that Hoover was "moving around" and "was crying visibly."
Hoover's sister, Donna Rhorer, expressed her concern when she noticed her brother opening his eyes and looking around as he was being transported from the Intensive Care Unit to the Operating Room. "It was like it was his way of letting us know, you know, 'Hey, I'm still here,'" she said. However, her concerns were dismissed as a common reflex.
The transplant procedure was halted after Hoover's unexpected reanimation. Miller recounted that when her colleague informed KODA, the supervisor insisted they were 'going to do this case' anyway and the hospital needed to 'find another doctor.' The incident led to a chaotic situation, with several employees quitting in the aftermath.
"Thats everybodys worst nightmare, right? Being alive during surgery and knowing that someone is going to cut you open and take your body parts out?" Martin said, adding that several of the employees who worked on the transplant had to seek therapy in the aftermath.
Martin has since become a whistleblower, submitting a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee about the incident as it held a hearing investigating organ procurement organizations. "It's very scary to me now that these things are allowed to happen, and there's not more in place to protect donors," she said.
However, Julie Bergen, the president and chief operating officer for Network for Hope, denied the incident. "No one at KODA has ever been pressured to collect organs from any living patient," she told NPR. Baptist Health Richmond also insisted that patient safety is their highest priority.
The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations defended the organ donation process, stating that such mistakes are rare and accusing whistleblowers of creating a false narrative that the system is untrustworthy.
Dr. Robert Truog, a professor of medical ethics, anesthesia and pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, acknowledged that incidents like Hoover's are 'horrifying' and 'need to be followed up carefully.' However, he urged the public not to believe that this is a widespread problem.
The Kentucky Attorney General and U.S. Health Services Resources Administration are now investigating the incident. Meanwhile, Rhorer has become her brother's legal guardian, as he has had issues with his memory, walking and talking since the incident. "I feel betrayed by the fact that the people that were telling us he was brain dead, and then he wakes up. They are trying to play God," she said.
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