347
submitted 8 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

TJ Hoover was declared brain dead after suffering an overdose in October 2021, but his sister Donna Rhorer says doctors attempted to harvest his organs while he was still showing signs of life.

Rhorer says TJ's eyes were open and tracking movement during his honor walk, when family members gather to say goodbye before organ donation surgery.

"Almost immediately as soon as his honor walk started, his eyes were opened, and they were tracking, looking around at the people that were there," Rhorer said.

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[-] cannedtuna@lemmy.world 100 points 8 months ago

That’s a fucking nightmare. Definitely in my top fears, waking up on a surgery table

[-] PlantJam@lemmy.world 70 points 8 months ago

Not just the surgery table, but the organ harvesting table.

[-] Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de 68 points 8 months ago

Kentucky organization allegedly began harvesting organs from people who may not have been dead.

No shit

[-] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 9 points 8 months ago

How else can you guarantee freshness?

[-] Univ3rse@lemmynsfw.com 49 points 8 months ago

Makes me reconsider being an organ donor. They were trying to "euthanize" him to sell his organs. This was attempted murder for profit.

[-] socphoenix@midwest.social 47 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

The sad thing is we desperately need people to stay organ donors if organ transplants that save lives are to stay a thing and these ethical catastrophes that should lead to mass arrests instead end with people leaving the registry and seemingly 0 consequences for the ghouls that caused the issue…

It’s not unlikely this will cause shortages for people in need that was completely preventable due to greed and capitalism.

[-] Enkers@sh.itjust.works 21 points 8 months ago

Spot on. I've had my donor registration sitting on my desk for the last few years, and I've been deliberating on it because I don't trust capitalism not to create perverse incentives and do fucked up shit just like this.

That, and I don't want my remains to just be a tool to help fund some CEO's yacht.

Reading this, I feel even more justified in my concern, and it definitely could affect my ultimate decision.

[-] Auli@lemmy.ca 0 points 8 months ago

If you've had it for years sitting there you where never going to sign it.

[-] Hawke@lemmy.world 19 points 8 months ago

Not only that but the reduction in organ supply will be a windfall for shareholders! I see this as an absolute win! USA, USA!

[-] MTK@lemmy.world 11 points 8 months ago

Oh common, there are plenty of murder attempts at you for profit!

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 6 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

i once posted a question on another forum a while ago about organ donation, what if we can decide which organs go to which persons, so it would mitigate some of these issues,

[-] over_clox@lemmy.world -4 points 8 months ago

If you can decide where your organs go, wouldn't you decide to keep them for yourself? Dude wasn't brain dead they say..

[-] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

This is a rash conclusion to jump to

[-] Auli@lemmy.ca 9 points 8 months ago

What other conclusion is there?

[-] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

That it would be horrible to deny people a chance at life because you read a shitty clickbait article

[-] winkerjadams@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 8 months ago

I have heard other anecdotes of doctors pushing families into cutting support so they can use the organs. Seems plausible to me

[-] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 4 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Yes this sort of bullshit is why lots of people die needlessly. Some lie that a friend of a friend supposedly "knew". It's conspiracy nonsense that would only ever make a shred of sense if the doctor pushing for it personally knew the recipient and also knew they were a match. Not saying it's never happened but calling it dubious is too kind.

[-] Univ3rse@lemmynsfw.com -1 points 8 months ago

Read the article. It was plainly stated, that's why I put euthanize in quotations as that was the terminology used by the staff attempting to murder him.

[-] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago

Then that is a shit-ass article not worth my time. Pretty obvious no one would admit to doing that if they were. What the hell is wrong with you to believe that?

[-] Univ3rse@lemmynsfw.com -2 points 8 months ago

You're a rude piece of shit, fuck off.

[-] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago

Look who is talking, psycho. Lol "they were euthanizing these people!!111"

[-] N0t_5ure@lemmy.world 35 points 8 months ago
[-] Zachariah@lemmy.world 15 points 8 months ago
[-] FerretyFever0@fedia.io 24 points 8 months ago

That's terrifying, sounds like it'd happen in a FNAF book. Think it has actually.

[-] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

Waking up, look at them removing your lungs "I'm not done using those"

[-] Hawke@lemmy.world 19 points 8 months ago

Just capitalism things. I hate what they’ve done to this country.

[-] womjunru@lemmy.cafe 7 points 8 months ago

Happens in capitalist china too

[-] alaphic@lemmy.world 13 points 8 months ago

I mean, it's almost like regardless of the economic, political, religious (etc.) framework they're operating within bad people will do bad things to one another for personal gain or something.

[-] womjunru@lemmy.cafe 4 points 8 months ago
[-] Schmoo@slrpnk.net 1 points 8 months ago

But bad systems create the incentives. Chalking it up to "bad people doing bad things" is a shallow analysis that does nothing to address the underlying problem. If you replaced all the "bad people" with "good people" you would see the same problems re-emerge due to the perverse incentives created by the profit motive.

[-] datavoid@lemmy.ml 5 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

I don't know why there are never any business school shooters (I mean obviously it's because people who go to them are out to take as much for themselves as possible, but you know what I mean)

[-] muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 4 points 8 months ago

That’s actually a good point, even if a bit macabre. Luigi took out a health insurance ghoul. Business majors doom us all. I’m not the only one to draw that conclusion.

I dont see a way out of this mess without people dying so I dont let myself have a gun. But not everyone who thinks this way places the same shackles on themselves.

So why isnt that more common?

[-] papertowels@mander.xyz 8 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

If anyone would like to learn more about the powers that be that resulted in this disaster, here's an article that goes over how the orgs that manage organ donation, inducing pressure on medical staff and introduce a conflict of interest.

[-] driving_crooner@lemmy.eco.br 7 points 8 months ago

Are organs from people dead for overdose useful? I would guess they would be full of drugs or other damage.

[-] Shanedino@lemmy.world 12 points 8 months ago

My guess would be that some may not be viable because of certain drugs but that doesn't mean all of them are. You probably wouldn't want the liver of a heavy drinker but thier lungs are probably fine?

[-] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

If it's a question between a slightly cirrhosis liver or no liver at all? Wouldn't it be better to get the alcoholic liver?

[-] Proprietary_Blend@lemmy.world 6 points 8 months ago
[-] Zachariah@lemmy.world 6 points 8 months ago

’90s eBay was wild

this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2025
347 points (98.1% liked)

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