Organ Donor Wakes Up on Operating Table as Doctors Prepare to Remove Heart

A 36-Year-Old Man, Organ Donor, Wakes Up on Operating Table as Doctors Prepare to Remove His Heart in ‘Everybody’s Worst Nightmare’.

Thomas ‘TJ’ Hoover II, from Kentucky, Regains Consciousness Just as Doctors Were About to Harvest His Heart for Donation.

The incident occurred in October 2021, after Hoover was rushed to Baptist Health Richmond Hospital following a drug overdose.

He had been declared brain dead, which typically signals the next step in organ donation procedures.

However, just as medical staff wheeled him into the operating room to evaluate the health of his heart for possible donation, Hoover regained consciousness.

According to Nyckoletta Martin, a former employee of Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) who later reviewed the case, Hoover began moving unexpectedly.

“He was thrashing around on the table,” she recounted, calling the scene deeply disturbing.

Natasha Miller, another KODA employee, also witnessed signs of life from Hoover as he was being transported from the ICU to the operating room.

Miller described seeing tears streaming down Hoover’s face, adding to the horror of the situation. “He was visibly crying,” she told NPR, which first reported the story.

The distressing moment left several hospital staff in shock. Yet, what seemed even more alarming was a directive given by a KODA coordinator at the time. Miller stated that the coordinator insisted the team proceed with the organ removal by “finding another doctor to do it,” despite Hoover’s signs of life.

Speaking further on the matter, Martin, who has dedicated her career to organ donation, expressed concern about the lack of protective measures for organ donors in such cases. “It’s very scary to me now that these things are allowed to happen,” she said, raising questions about the safeguards in place for patients declared brain dead.

However, Julie Bergen, president and chief operating officer of Network for Hope—an organization that emerged from the merger of KODA and the LifeCenter Organ Donation Network—denied these allegations.

She insisted that KODA has never pressured its team to collect organs from living patients, calling such claims unfounded.

Baptist Health Richmond echoed this sentiment, stating that patient safety remains their top priority. In a statement, the hospital emphasized its commitment to ensuring that the wishes of patients and their families regarding organ donation are always respected.

The case has drawn the attention of both the Kentucky Attorney General and the US Health Services Resources Administration, which are now investigating the matter.

Hoover survived the ordeal and currently lives with his sister, Donna Rhorer, who is now his legal guardian. She shared that her brother continues to struggle with memory, speech, and mobility issues since the incident.