Organ donation is a noble cause and those who opt for it usually end up saving several lives. More and more people are opting for the procedure, and oftentimes it is indicated on identity cards or driver’s licenses.
A woman’s experience, however, turned into a nightmare when she woke up on the operating table, moments before her organs would have been harvested from inside her body.
Keep reading to know more.
There are a lot of people who are skeptical about organ donation especially when it is early harvesting or procuring organs from people who are still alive. And a new case in New Mexico is enough to fuel nightmares for anyone.
Danella Gallegos is lucky she is still alive despite what she was about to go through. In 2022, she went into a coma and was on the verge of having her organs taken for donation.
38-year-old Danella was homeless at the time and required medical help. She was taken to Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque where she was then admitted.
Her condition seemed hopeless which prompted doctors to tell her family she would not make a recovery. Based on this, her family decided to donate her organs and hence staff began making preperations.
This is when an organ procurement organization New Mexico Donor Services stepped in.
Days before the procedure, Danella’s family reported they saw tears fall from her eyes and when this was pointed out to medical professionals, they were told it is merely a reflex.
While tears can be due to a reflex when it comes to corneal stimulation, it does not always occur when a person is in a coma.
On the day of her organ removal, her sisters were certain that Danella was alive. They alerted staff that she had moved while they had held her hand. However, these concerns were ignored and she was still taken to the pre-surgery room.
Doctors were stunned when in the room that Danella not only opened her eyes but was able to blink on command.
While doctors were shocked, according to a report, the coordinator for the organ removal told doctors this was probably a reflex and to administer morphine ot dull her reactions and go on with the surgery.
However, the doctors refused to perform the surgery and removed Danella from the room. Danella went on to make a full recovery.
Two years after the dreadful incident, she recounts her harrowing story saying, “I feel so fortunate. But it’s also crazy to think how close things came to ending differently.”
Later, hospital staff admitted that while they were reluctant to do the procedures, they were pressured to go ahead with it by New Mexico Donor Services.
As these claims have been made public, an investigation has been launched by the Presbyterian Hospital against New Mexico Donor Services as they say they were responsible for all aspects of the donation.
In a statement to the media, Donor Services has said that they do not interfere with the medical decision-making aspect of donations and that hospitals are in charge of patient care. However, these claims are at odds with what the hospital is alleging.
This is such a harrowing story, thankfully things were made rights before they could have gotten much worse. What do you think of this story? Let us know in the comments section on Facebook.
