Man Who Was Pronounced Dead Wakes Up on Operating Table Moments Before Having Organs Removed in ‘Horrifying’ Mistake

• Anthony Thomas “TJ” Hoover II was pronounced dead after a drug overdose
• He was sent to the hospital to assess whether his heart was healthy enough to be donated
• He started showing signs of life in the operating room, alerting doctors, and now an organ procurement organization is being investigated after the alleged incident

Anthony Thomas “TJ” Hoover II was admitted to Baptist Health Richmond Hospital in October 2021 after a drug overdose and was later pronounced dead. His sister, Donna Rhorer, told NPR that she informed medical staff that the 36-year-old was a registered organ donor.

However, during his “walk of honor” — as he was wheeled into the operating room for organ donation while surrounded by loved ones and hospital staff — Rhorer and other family members expressed concern when Hoover appeared to open his eyes.

“It was like it was his way of letting us know, ‘Hey, I’m still here,'” she told the outlet, noting that staff told the family it was just a normal reflex. Rhorer documented the emotional moment, which she later shared on TikTok.

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Natasha Miller was in the operating room when Hoover was wheeled in for the organ removal operation. Her job includes storing donated organs for transplant. She stated that after seeing the patient, she knew immediately that something was wrong and that he did not appear to be dead.

“He was moving around – kind of thrashing around. Like, moving, thrashing around on the bed,” she claimed. “And when we went there, you could see he was in tears. He was visibly crying.”

Miller explained that Hoover’s condition upset everyone in the room, including two doctors who reportedly said they no longer felt comfortable participating in the organ harvest and refused to continue.

“The operating surgeon said, ‘I’m out of it. I don’t want anything to do with it,’ she recalled. “It was very chaotic. Everyone was very upset.”

Miller claims her supervisor was instructed by Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) to “find another doctor” to perform the surgery and proceed with the organ harvest. She also claims that Hoover was sedated after his movements.

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The procedure was eventually cancelled. “They finally stopped the procedure because he was showing too many signs of life,” Rhorer said, adding that she took her brother home and was told to make him comfortable because he didn’t have long to live.

Three years later, Hoover is still alive and cared for by his sister as he has difficulty walking, speaking and remembering.

A number of KODA workers say they quit over the October 2021 incident, including another organ preservation expert, Nyckoletta Martin.

“I have dedicated my whole life to donating and transplanting organs. Now it’s very scary to me that things like this are allowed to happen and there are no more places to protect donors,” she told NPR.

Martin, along with other witnesses, has now come forward to testify about what happened during the organ harvesting process. In September, she shared details of the alleged incident in a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which held a hearing investigating organ procurement organizations.

“Several of us who were employees had to go to therapy. It took a toll on a lot of people, especially me,” Martin said.

“It’s everyone’s worst nightmare, right? Being alive during surgery and knowing that someone is going to cut you open and take out your body parts?” she added. “It’s horrible.”

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KODA has since denied the allegations, claiming in a statement that “this case has not been accurately represented.”

“No one at KODA has ever been pressured to harvest organs from any living patient,” Julie Bergin — president and chief operating officer for Network for Hope, which was formed when KODA merged with LifeCenter Organ Donor Network — said in statements, NPR reports. “KODA does not remove organs from living patients. KODA has never pressured its team members to do so.”

The organization did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

The federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which helps oversee organ procurement, and the Kentucky attorney general’s office said they were investigating the allegations.

An open letter from the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations talks about the incident.

“Our system of organ donation and transplantation is built entirely on trust, and the American public should be confident when they register as donors that their gifts will be honored and respected,” said Dorrie Dils, president of AOPO.

She later told NPR that such incidents are “alarming” and should be properly reported and evaluated.

“Obviously we want to make sure that individuals are, in fact, dead when organ donation takes place,” Dils said. “And we want the public to believe that this is really happening. The process is sacred.”

Rhorer admitted that she is often angry about how the incident played out.

“I feel betrayed by the fact that the people who were telling us he was brain dead and then he woke up,” Rhorer told the newspaper. “They are trying to play God. They almost, you know, choose — they’re going to take this person to save these people. And you lose faith in humanity a little bit.”

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Source: HIS Education