In a harrowing medical mishap, a Kentucky man declared brain dead after a cardiac arrest suddenly regained consciousness on the operating table as surgeons prepared to harvest his organs.
The Terrifying Ordeal Unfolds
Anthony Thomas ‘TJ’ Hoover II, then 33, arrived at Baptist Health hospital in Richmond, Kentucky, in October 2021 following a drug overdose. Medical staff pronounced him brain dead, citing no reflexes, brain damage, and vacant eyes. As a registered organ donor, his family consented to life support removal to enable donations.
During a pre-harvest cardiac catheterization to check heart viability, Hoover awoke, thrashing on the table. Doctors sedated him, and organ procurement proceeded. Transferred to the operating room under a surgical sheet, he began moving and crying visibly.
Natasha Miller, a former organ preservationist with Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA), witnessed the scene. “He was moving around – kind of thrashing, like moving and thrashing around on the bed. And then when we went over there, you could see he had tears coming down. He was visibly crying,” she recounted.
The lead surgeons halted the procedure. One stated, “I’m out of it. I don’t want to have anything to do with it.” Chaos ensued as staff reacted with alarm.
Family’s Alarming Observations
Hoover’s sister, Donna Rhorer, noticed his eyes open and scanning frantically as he wheeled from ICU to surgery. Staff dismissed it as a reflex. “It was like it was his way of letting us know, ‘Hey, I’m still here,'” Rhorer said. “We were told it was just reflexes – just a normal thing. Who are we to question the medical system?”
About an hour into the procedure, a doctor informed the family Hoover “wasn’t ready” and had woken up. They took him home, expecting his death soon.
Whistleblower Accounts and Denials
Nyckoletta Martin, another former KODA preservationist who resigned post-incident, noted Hoover’s earlier awakening during catheterization. “The donor had woken up during his procedure that morning,” she said. “It’s very scary to me now these things are allowed to happen and there’s not more in place to protect donors.”
Miller reported the coordinator, in tears, sought another surgeon after supervisors insisted on proceeding. Several KODA staff resigned afterward.
KODA denies pressuring staff or harvesting from living patients, confirming Miller’s presence but rejecting claims. Baptist Health Richmond emphasizes patient safety and collaboration with families on donation wishes.
Background and Recovery
Hoover turned to drugs amid depression, anxiety, and PTSD from witnessing hurricane deaths, plus losing two brothers to overdoses and his mother months prior. He collapsed on her birthday.
Defying prognosis, Hoover survives with Rhorer’s care, facing challenges in walking, talking, and memory. State and federal authorities now investigate the case.
