A Kentucky man declared legally brain dead allegedly awoke as medical professionals were readying to take his heart in October 2021.Photo by Molly Riley/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Organ donor declared legally dead wakes up 'thrashing' on operating table: reports

'He was moving around. And then when we went over there, you could see he had tears coming down,' a witness told NPR

by · National Post

A Kentucky man who was declared legally dead awoke “thrashing” on an operating table, reportedly shedding “tears,” as doctors were preparing to harvest his heart for organ donation.

And it wasn’t the first time Anthony Thomas ‘TJ’ Hoover II exhibited signs of life between his supposed death in October 2021 and the subsequent tests to ensure he was fit to be an organ donor.

Revival after death: New transplant procedure challenges ethics rulesCanada’s transplant community is preparing for the “anticipated adoption” of a novel method of procuring organs that involves restoring warm blood flow to vital organs, even restarting the heart, moments after the donor has been declared dead.Sharon Kirkey, 19 Oct 2022People seeking assisted suicide have asked to gift their organs to loved ones, doctors sayIt’s an ethically fraught scenario that’s becoming more common as the number of Canadians granted euthanasia grows: People pursuing assisted suicide are asking to donate one or more of their functioning organs upon their death to someone they know.Sharon Kirkey, 27 Jun 2023