Man Declared Brain Dead Wakes Up on Operating Table Before Heart Harvesting

 

In a startling incident at Baptist Health Richmond Hospital in Kentucky, a man who was declared brain dead woke up on the operating table just as doctors were preparing to harvest his heart. Thomas ‘TJ’ Hoover II, 36, was admitted to the hospital after suffering a drug overdose.

Hoover was pronounced brain dead, but as he was being wheeled into the operating room for heart evaluation, he unexpectedly regained consciousness. Nyckoletta Martin, a former employee of Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA), later reviewed the case notes and described the shocking moment, saying, “He was thrashing around on the table.”

In an interview with NPR, Martin expressed her horror at the situation, stating, “That’s everybody’s worst nightmare, right? Being alive during surgery and knowing that someone is going to cut you open and take your body parts out. That’s horrifying.”

Another KODA employee, Natasha Miller, recounted how Hoover exhibited signs of life as he was transported from the intensive care unit to the operating room. She noted, “He was moving around – kind of thrashing. And then when we went over there, you could see he had tears coming down. He was crying visibly.”

The unsettling scene shocked those present, and Miller reported that a KODA coordinator suggested finding another doctor for the case, saying that they were going to proceed with the procedure. “So, the coordinator calls the supervisor at the time,” Miller recounted. “And she was saying that he was telling her that she needed to 'find another doctor to do it' – that 'we were going to do this case. She needs to find someone else.'”

Martin, who has dedicated her life to organ donation and transplant, voiced her concern over the incident. “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.

In response to the allegations, Julie Bergen, president of the Network for Hope—formed from KODA's merger with the LifeCenter Organ Donation Network—denied any wrongdoing, stating, “No one at KODA has ever been pressured to collect organs from any living patient.” She added, “KODA does not recover organs from living patients. KODA has never pressured its team members to do so.”

Baptist Health Richmond also emphasized its commitment to patient safety, assuring that they closely work with patients and their families to honor their wishes regarding organ donation.

The Kentucky Attorney General and the U.S. Health Services Resources Administration are now investigating the incident. Hoover, who survived, is currently living with his sister, Donna Rhorer. She disclosed that he has been struggling with memory, walking, and talking issues since the incident, and she has become his legal guardian.