Organ Donation Began While Patients Still Showed ‘Signs of Life’ According to Investigation

A disturbing federal investigation into a major organ procurement organization has uncovered dozens of cases in which patients allegedly showed neurological activity that should have stopped the donation process — including instances where preparations to remove organs had already begun.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is now moving to decertify Network for Hope, the federally designated organ procurement organization serving Kentucky and portions of Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia.

Federal officials say the action follows investigations that uncovered serious and persistent patient-safety problems, including cases involving people who continued to display signs of life during the organ donation process.

Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel called the findings “horror stories” after discussing the investigation with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy is bringing to light horror stories about the dark corners of organ harvesting,” Siegel said.

“The department is now pulling the accreditation of Kentucky’s Network for Hope, the main organ procurement organization in the state.”

One of the most alarming cases involved TJ Hoover, a prospective organ donor who reportedly showed signs of life before surgeons were set to remove his organs.

According to Siegel, the procurement process allegedly continued even after those warning signs emerged.

“Even after those signs of life, Kennedy says the organ procurement process continued until the physician refused to proceed,” Siegel said.

The case has become a flashpoint in the growing federal scrutiny of the organ donation system.

The Health Resources and Services Administration reviewed 351 Network for Hope cases from 2021 through 2024 in which organ donation had been authorized but ultimately did not take place.

Investigators flagged 103 of those cases as concerning.

Even more troubling, according to HHS, 73 patients displayed what investigators described as “neurological signs incompatible with organ donation.”

“HHS says it uncovered 73 separate instances where the process of harvesting an organ should have been stopped sooner,” Siegel said.

He added that investigators found allegations that medical personnel were pressured to continue the process even as patients displayed neurological activity and other signs of life.

Federal officials also cited inadequate neurological evaluations, poor coordination between procurement personnel and hospital care teams, questionable consent procedures and problems involving how causes of death were classified.

“Thirty percent of the procedures that they were performing had something wrong with them,” Siegel said.

“If there’s a bad organization that’s willing to do things that are unethical, they’re going to get away with things at any place where they operate.”

Network for Hope is pushing back.

The nonprofit’s chief executive officer said the organization intends to appeal the federal government’s decision and maintains that it complies with policies governing organ procurement and transportation.

The controversy comes as federal officials stress that they are not attacking organ donation itself.

Kennedy has said he strongly supports ethical organ donation and has a deeply personal connection to the issue.

His nephew, Michael Hines, became an organ donor after dying at age 20, ultimately helping save multiple lives.

“Kennedy says he strongly supports organ donation when it’s done ethically and properly,” Siegel said.

But the latest federal findings are likely to intensify concerns about what happens during the critical final moments between end-of-life care and organ procurement — and whether enough safeguards are in place to guarantee that every patient is truly beyond recovery before the process begins.