Man Wakes Up Before His Own Organs Were Harvested

In the world of organ donations, many people try to help make something good out of a tragedy by sharing parts of their body after they can no longer use it. However, a few stories have come out over people nearly losing their organs prematurely. In one such story, a woman recounted a horrifying incident in which her brother nearly saw his organs removed, only to wake up in the nick of time.

An Organ Retrieval Turned Into A ‘Horror Movie’ As One Woman Nearly Lost Her Brother Before His Time

A recent episode of The Will Cain Show discussed the topic of organ donation. At the time, a few cases were shared when people believed to be deceased still showed signs of life prior to having their organs harvested.

In particular, one story that was shared revolved around a man named TJ Hoover. It was shared that a suspected overdose saw him taken to a hospital.

During the incident, which took place in 2021, doctors believed he wouldn’t survive. It was also “flagged that he was an organ donor.”

Moments away from the organ harvesting procedure, it was shared that TJ then woke up. While he survived the incident, it was noted that he lives with PTSD from what happened.

Donna Rhorer, TJ’s sister, also appeared during the episode, where she compared the story to a “horror movie.” After being asked, she noted the family was still learning what had happened that day.

TJ’s Family Noticed Something Was Off During His ‘Honor Walk’

It was noted that TJ’s eyes opened while he was at the hospital, and even started tracking people. TJ then started moving on the operating table. Donna noted this occurred during his “honor walk,” which allows family members to say goodbye before an organ retrieval in performed.

At the time, Donna also shared that she was told by doctors that the initial eye movement was just a reflex. She added that a doctor stopped things after her brother was “shaved” and “prepped.”

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Speaking with NPR, Natasha Miller, who works preserving donated organs for transplants, also shared that she realized something wasn’t right at the time TJ was declared dead. Back in 2024, she shared, “He was moving around — kind of thrashing. Like, moving, thrashing around on the bed. And then when we went over there, you could see he had tears coming down. He was crying visibly.”

According to Miller, the procuring surgeon then refused to perform the organ retrieval. Initially, the coordinator called the supervisor to find a new doctor before the surgery was cancelled.

Some KODA Workers Reportedly Quit Over The Incident

At the time, Donna also spoke with NPR about the story. Once again, she mentioned her brother’s eyes, sharing, “It was like it was his way of letting us know, you know, ‘Hey, I’m still here.'”

Some KODA, or “Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates,” workers shared that they later quit over the incident. Nyckoletta Martin, an organ preservationist, shared, “I’ve dedicated my entire life to organ donation and transplant. It’s very scary to me now that these things are allowed to happen and there’s not more in place to protect donors.”

Martin also later appeared in a Fox newscast discussing the story. At the time, she noted that TJ has since felt both fear and guilt over what happened. At the time, she shared she still had questions over what happened, especially highlighting TJ being sedated rather than sent back to the ICU when he showed signs of life.

Have you been following this story? As the story was noted not to be an isolated incident, are there similar stories you know about? Make sure you come back to TV Shows Ace for all the latest TV and celebrity news.