A 47-year-old Ohio woman was left brain-dead after a tummy tuck she hoped would usher in her “next chapter.” The surgeon who initially said the “surgery went great” is now responding days after she was taken off life support.
On Feb. 25, Rachel Tussey, 47, shared a TikTok clip with her more than 73,000 followers, explaining she was about to get her mommy makeover.
“Okay, here it is, it’s my turn,” the Ohio woman started in the clip, which showed her sitting in a hospital bed. “I’m really looking forward to my next chapter…Please pray, I know it’s going to be great, and I’ve waited a really long time for this. I’m in good hands. Let’s do this!”
The clip would become the last message she would ever share.
‘Surgery went great’
In a TikTok video posted on March 3, Rachel’s husband, Jeremy, said the surgeon assured him the “surgery went great” before leaving for the day.
“I could hear Rachel in the background asking for me,” Jeremy said in the clip that was shared on his wife’s account.
After speaking with Dr. Shahryar Tork in the hallway, Jeremy added that he then entered the room: “Rachel could hear me talk, searching for my voice. I stepped around to the side of the bed and touched her arm – she knew it was me touching her.”
But moments later, Jeremy said he noticed something alarming.
Rachel’s face had lost color.
“I got down in her ear and hollered ‘Rachel’ a couple times, no answer,” he said. “It was kind of weird to me, because [there] didn’t seem to be a sense of urgency with her lips being blue.”
‘Without oxygen for six minutes’
The grieving husband said the situation quickly spiraled as a nurse began performing CPR. The doctor was called back to evaluate Rachel’s condition and instructed staff to call 911.
She was then rushed by ambulance to TriHealth Bethesda North Hospital.
Jeremy’s video ends with him panning across a hospital room to Rachel, lying unconscious with breathing tubes connected to keep her alive.
“This is what we’re looking at,” he said. “She was without oxygen for over six minutes, supposedly. I don’t know how that happens when you got a crew that was supposed to be taking care of her.”
The oxygen deprivation had caused a catastrophic anoxic brain injury.
“I was told last night (Mar. 2) she was brain dead,” he said, adding that he was given “I have a couple days to make a decision.”
Rachel’s ‘final days’
A GoFundMe created for the family later confirmed that Jeremy made the “heartbreaking decision to remove her from life support.” Rachel was transferred to hospice care, where updates explained that she’s still breathing but in a vegetative state as she’s “slowly passing away.”
On March 10, Jeremy – who shares three children with Rachel – shared a message thanking supporters.
“I’m Jeremy I want to thank everybody for the support they have given my amazing wife and my family in her final days even with all the misinformation being put out by influencers and so called media outlets,” he wrote, addressing claims that his wife had already died.
‘No pathway to recovery’
Jeremy has also said he intends to uncover what led to the tragic outcome, alleging “incompetence.”
The Tussey family has now retained a lawyer to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, People reports.
“She has profound, irreversible brain damage,” attorney family Bernard Layne said, explaining that an anoxic brain injury occurs when the brain is deprived of oxygen long enough to cause widespread cell death.
He also confirmed that Rachel’s injuries are irreversible.
“There is no pathway to recovery.”
Surgeon weighs in
The plastic surgeon who performed the procedure, Dr. Tork, addressed the situation in a statement shared with media, including People, on March 12.
“I am heartbroken for Rachel Tussey and her family. My thoughts remain with her loved ones during this devastating time. Like them, I am struggling to understand how this could have occurred.”
Dr. Tork emphasized that the surgery was not performed at his private practice.
“It is important to clarify that the surgery did not take place at my private practice, Tork Plastic Surgery, nor do I own or operate the independently owned ambulatory surgery facility where the procedure occurred.”
‘Recovering as expected’
According to the statement, the operation itself was completed without complications.
“Rachel was extubated and transferred to the recovery unit (PACU) in excellent condition, where I personally updated Rachel’s husband and brought him to her bedside, where she was awake, speaking with him, and recovering as expected ahead of her planned overnight stay for monitoring.”
He added that he returned to assist when her condition suddenly changed and has since stopped performing procedures at that surgery center.
This heartbreaking story has left many people with questions. What do you think happened? Let us know in the comments – and share this story so others can join the conversation.
READ MORE
- Mom says she’s changing daughter’s ‘racist’ name after she’s bullied for it
- Little girl denied passport because her name is “trademarked”
