Kentucky, Oct 28, (V7N) - In a startling incident, Anthony Thomas “TJ” Hoover II, 36, was pronounced brain dead and set for organ donation when he unexpectedly awoke just hours before the procedure in October 2021 at Baptist Health Richmond. Nyckoletta Martin, an organ preservationist who worked with Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA), revealed that Hoover displayed signs of consciousness during an honor walk ceremony, raising serious concerns about the protocol followed by the medical staff.
 
According to Martin, Hoover tracked his family members with his eyes, prompting alarm from his sister, Donna Rhorer, who felt something was amiss despite being told by staff that it was a normal reflex. The situation escalated when Hoover regained awareness during a painful cardiac catheterization meant to assess his heart for donation.
 
Martin criticized the decision to sedate him after he woke up, arguing that the medical team should have halted the donation process immediately. "They shouldn’t have given him any more medication," she stated. "They should have just halted everything and taken him back to the ICU."
 
Hoover had been admitted to the hospital following a drug overdose, during which he experienced cardiac arrest for 35 minutes. Although his family was informed of his supposed brain death and agreed to remove life support, the revelations of his waking moments have prompted an investigation and led to resignations within KODA.
 
Rhorer was only made aware of her brother’s awakening when Martin reached out to her in January this year, highlighting the need for stricter protocols in organ donation practices to prevent such incidents in the future.
 
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