“Brain Dead” Kentucky Organ Donor who got up on the operating table According to a new report, he faced tragedy and mental health problems, which ultimately escalated due to his excessive drug abuse.
Thomas “TJ” Hoover, now 36, was nearly euthanized at Baptist Health Richmond Hospital in 2021 after overdosing in his car — and was then declared brain dead.
His sister and caregiver Donna Rohrer said the incident was the culmination of years of suffering for her brother, which began when he saw dead bodies while cleaning up during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. CNN reported,
Rohrer told the outlet that the human cost and devastation of the deadly hurricane caused him to take medication for anxiety, depression and PTSD.
But the drugs left Hoover feeling like “a zombie,” Rohrer said, so her brother couldn’t find work and eventually had to turn to illegal drugs to help him cope.
Rohrer had already lost two of his brothers to overdose, and while Hoover made efforts to get over it, the final blow came when his mother passed away in 2021.
Months after his death, on the anniversary of his birthday, Hoover overdosed on medication and was taken to the hospital, where doctors declared him brain dead the next day.
After Hoover was listed as an organ donor, doctors spent the next two days testing his organs to see which would be viable for transplant.
Members of the Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (CODA) say the procedure was catastrophically flawed, with witnesses saying Hoover showed obvious signs of life and was even moving his body and eyes.
“The donor was up for cardiac catheterization during his procedure that morning. And he was moving his hands and feet here and there on the table. former Coda employee Niccoletta Martin told NPR.
According to case file records, the Hippocratic Oath Keepers rendered the struggling Hoover unconscious only to have him wake up – and proceeded with their plan to harvest his organs.
The incident led to the resignation of several members of the Coda team, with the Kentucky State Attorney General’s Office investigating the matter.
The federal Health Resources and Services Administration is also investigating the allegations.
Hoover survived the ordeal and is currently living with his sister as he recovers.
(TagstoTranslate)US news(T)depression(T)hospital(T)Kentucky(T)organ donation
