Premature Organ Transplant

What if you agree to donate your organs once you’re declared dead?  And what if there are so many people waiting for an organ donation that some medical centers can’t wait until you’re actually dead?  Reports have surfaced that some doctors have started the process to begin organ harvesting only to find out that the person is still alive. 

That’s what happened to a man named TJ Hoover in Kentucky as reported by WDRB, Louisville KY.  Although medical records indicate that Mr. Hoover was declared brain dead in 2021, he regained consciousness when he was being prepared for organ donation.  During his honor walk, his eyes started opening and they were tracking movements.  An honor walk occurs in the hospital or medical facility where friends, family, and medical personnel wheel an organ donor through the halls as a sign of dignity and thanks for their gift of organ donation.

Donna Rhorer is TJ Hoover’s sister.  She cared for him and stayed by his side even though he was declared brain dead.  She was told that after her brother, TJ was brought into surgery, a doctor came out and explained that her brother “wasn’t ready.”  That meant that he had woken up so the doctors could not proceed with the surgery. 

TJ Hoover had trouble walking and talking but he was indeed alive from the standpoint of his loved ones.  Donna Rhorer brought her brother home.  The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (https://aopo.org) has said that organ donation can only happen after a patient’s heart and breathing permanently stop, and they’re declared dead by the hospital team. 

In a recent op ed in the New York Times, Dr. Jauhar (cardiologist), and Drs. Patel and Smith (directors of the center for heart failure and transplant at Northwell Health, NY) have a different view of death when it comes to organ transplants.  They believe that we need to broaden the definition of death to include irreversibly comatose patients on life support.  Using this definition, these patients would be legally dead regardless of whether a machine restored the beating of their heart.  This opinion piece is from the New York Times, July 30, 2025.

The debate about organ transplants is highly controversial.  While there are people dying each day who wait for an organ donation, there is still much debate about who can make the decision about when a person is ready to give up their organs.  Until then, we must wait and see how we will address these and other concerns in the future of medicine. Congress has been evaluating the nation’s organ donation systems for quite some time.