A Kentucky man was declared brain dead and his organs were set to be harvested for donation.
However, he woke up during the procedure, according to his family’s account shared with the media.
Anthony Thomas “TJ” Hoover II’s case, which occurred in October 2021, is now under investigation by state and federal authorities.
Both National Public Radio (NPR) and Kentucky news station WKYT reported on the story Thursday.
Officials in the U.S. organ-procurement system claim safeguards are in place to prevent incidents like this.
However, Hoover's family believes that more reforms are needed.
Hoover’s sister, Donna Rhorer, shared that her brother had been admitted to Baptist Health Hospital in Richmond, Kentucky, after a drug overdose.
Doctors informed Rhorer and their family that Hoover had no reflexes or brain activity.
This forced the family to make the tough decision to remove him from life support.
According to WKYT, the hospital staff mentioned that Hoover had consented to organ donation upon his death.
To respect his wishes, the hospital tested which organs were viable and even held a ceremony in his honor.
Rhorer said she noticed Hoover’s eyes open and follow the movements of his loved ones.
But a staff assured her that it was simply a reflex. “Who are we to question the medical system?” Rhorer remarked.
However, about an hour into the surgery to retrieve his organs, a doctor informed the family that Hoover was not “ready” for the procedure.
“He woke up,” Rhorer recalled.
The family was advised to bring Hoover home and make him comfortable, as his prognosis remained poor.
Rhorer, who has cared for her brother since then, later learned more details of the incident in January, 2024.
This was after a former employee of the Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) reached out to her.
The employee claimed to have witnessed Hoover moving on the operating table and visibly crying, according to NPR.
This individual later sent a letter to a congressional committee investigating organ procurement practices.
In response, Baptist Health released a statement.
They affirmed that patient safety is their top priority and that they always work with families to respect their loved one’s wishes regarding organ donation.
KODA also responded.
They denied the allegations and maintained that they have never collected organs from live patients.
They stated that they are only involved in organ recovery after a patient’s healthcare provider declares them dead.
Despite these reassurances, Hoover’s case is now being investigated by the Kentucky attorney general’s office and a federal agency that oversees organ procurement.
NPR pointed out that some experts are concerned about the media attention around this case.
They believe it could harm public trust in the organ donation system, which has a waiting list of more than 100,000 people.
A medical ethics professor NPR consulted noted that incidents like Hoover’s are exceedingly rare.
They suggest that the case should be thoroughly investigated to prevent future occurrences.
Rhorer, however, defended her decision to go public with the story.
She hopes it might give other families the courage to speak up or prevent similar events from happening.
“He tried to signal that he was still there, but it was ignored,” Rhorer told WKYT.
“I knew something was wrong, but going up against the medical system felt like a David and Goliath battle,” she added.
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