A woman has shared the terrifying experience she faced when an organ donation surgery nearly proceeded, despite her regaining consciousness on the operating table.
Numerous theories surround organ donation, particularly concerning premature harvesting and obtaining organs from individuals who are not yet deceased.
For one woman, this nightmare scenario became a reality as she lay powerless on the operating table at a New Mexico hospital.
Danella Gallegos considers herself fortunate to be alive after coming close to having her organs taken following a coma in 2022.
At 38, Danella was homeless when she experienced a medical emergency, resulting in her being taken to the Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque.
Doctors assessed her condition as severe, leading them to inform her family that recovery was unlikely. Consequently, her family made the difficult decision to consent to organ donation, setting the process in motion.
The responsibility then shifted to the procurement organization, New Mexico Donor Services.
Days prior to the scheduled procedure, Danella’s family reported seeing tears from her eyes, which doctors reportedly dismissed as a reflex.
While corneal stimulation can cause tearing as a reflex, it is not a common occurrence in coma cases.
On the day her organs were to be removed, her sisters believed Danella was still alive, noting movement while holding her hand. Nevertheless, she was taken to the pre-surgery room, where her true condition became apparent.
Medical staff were astonished when she awoke and responded by blinking on command.
Despite this, the organ coordinator in the room is alleged to have claimed it was merely a reflex and suggested administering morphine to suppress her reactions, urging the surgery to proceed, according to a New York Times report.
Fortunately, Danella’s doctors declined to perform the operation and transferred her to another room, where she eventually made a complete recovery.
Reflecting on the ordeal two years later, she told the New York Times: “I feel so fortunate. But it’s also crazy to think how close things came to ending differently.”
Hospital staff later revealed to the outlet that they experienced pressure from New Mexico Donor Services to proceed, despite their reservations.
In response to these allegations, Presbyterian Hospital stated that Donor Services oversees all aspects of the donation process and has initiated an investigation into the incident.
Donor Services, in a statement to the Times, asserted that it does not intervene in medical decision-making, emphasizing that hospitals are responsible for patient care, contradicting the hospital’s claims.
In a similar incident, another individual faced an organ donation attempt before being clinically deceased.
In October 2021, Anthony Thomas ‘TJ’ Hoover II was hospitalized due to a drug overdose. Declared dead and registered as an organ donor, he was prepped for surgery at Baptist Health hospital in Richmond, Kentucky.
However, upon entering the surgery room, doctors observed that he was moving.
The surgeon refused to proceed, informing the organ coordinator that they needed another surgeon if they insisted on continuing, leading to the supervisor allegedly ‘yelling at’ the coordinator and stating there was ‘no one else’.
UNILAD has reached out to New Mexico Donor Services for a comment.