A 36-year-old man who had been declared brain dead awoke and began to weep as physicians prepared to harvest his organs for donation at a hospital in Kentucky, USA.
Anthony Thomas “TJ” Hoover II was sent to Baptist Health Richmond Hospital in Richmond on October 25, 2021, after experiencing a heart arrest as a result of a heroin overdose.
The next day, physicians informed his sister, Donna Rhorer, that he had no reflexes, no brain activity, and no brain waves.
The family then made the difficult decision to remove him from life support, and they were later notified that he was a registered organ donor.
Doctors then tested whether of his organs were suitable for donation, and, as is customary, the hospital performed a ceremony to celebrate him.
“We had his honour walk Friday afternoon. During his honour walk, his eyes started opening up. He was tracking. His eyes were tracking us around. We were told it was just reflexes, just a normal thing. Who are we to question the medical system?” Rhorer said in an interview with TV broadcaster, WKYT.
She told the news channel that about an hour into the procedure, the doctor came out of the surgery room and addressed them.
“He said he wasn’t ready. He woke up,” Rhorer said.
As doctors prepared to test his heart health for transplantation, Hoover was miraculously revived.
Rhorer stated that she was told to take Hoover home, but he will not live long, and he has been caring for her brother for three years.
According to Fox8, a former hospital staffer, Nyckoletta Martin, recently revealed to Rhorer that her brother was still alive, but the Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA), which is in charge of acquiring organs for transplants, were eager to go ahead with the surgery and take his organs.
“They were trying to prep and drape him for surgery, and it’s kind of crazy, but the doctors decided they were absolutely not going to do this case,” Martin was quoted as saying.
“The KODA coordinator that was on site that day actually called KODA’s admin for some guidance and was told, ‘’You will find another surgeon or you’ll lose your job because we’re going to complete this case,’” Martin added.
Rhorer learned that her brother was thrashing around, crying, trying to pull his teeth out, and pushing everybody’s hands away.
The publication added that the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office is now looking into the case as Hoover’s family demands answers.
“TJ was an outdoorsman. He liked to be in the woods and he says his favourite thing was to watch the deer. He loved camping, hiking, all things outdoor, and everything. His life’s been stripped away from him,’’ Rhorer was quoted as saying.