Latest news with #NewMexicoDonorServices
Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Comatose woman woke before organ harvesting surgery but 'docs operated anyway'
Danella Gallegos, who was 38 at the time, was moments away from having her organs removed when doctors in New Mexico made the life-saving decision to abandon the procedure when they saw her blinking An organ donation operation pushed for the removal of a comatose woman's body parts after she showed signs of life, medics claim. Danella Gallegos was homeless when she suffered an unspecified medical emergency that left her in a coma at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2022. Her family was devastated when they were told she would never recover, and they decided to donate her organs to save the life of someone else in need. It comes after a mum a left 16-month-old home alone to die when she went on holiday. READ MORE: Police shame British drugs mules by making them pose for photos with suitcases Preparations were made with the New Mexico Donor Services, which says it serves two million people in the state by "connecting organ and tissue donations to the patients who need them". But in the lead up to the donation date, her family reported seeing tears forming in her eyes - which they thought showed signs of life. They told the donation co-ordinators, who brushed it off by saying it was simply a reflex. On the day of the donation, her sister saw Danella moving while holding her hand - which convinced her that her sister was still sentient. Then, before her surgery, medics witnessed Danella blink on their command while deep in a coma, leaving them stunned. A New York Times report detailed how the pushy organ co-ordinator told the doctors she should be plied with morphine so they could continue with the procedure. Defying the co-ordinator, the doctors took Danella out of surgery in a decision that saved her life. Danella went on to make a full recovery. "I feel so fortunate," she said. Danella says the only thing she remembers from the coma is feeling a sense of fear. "But it's also crazy to think how close things came to ending differently." The donation service has denied claims from hospital workers that they were pressured into continuing the procedure despite their doubts. The service says it doesn't interfere in medical decisions, adding that it is hospitals that are responsible for the care of patients. Presbyterian Hospital denied their claims, saying that the service was actually solely responsible for all aspects of the process, and that it has launched a probe into the circumstances around Danella's case. One veteran intensive care nurse at the Presbyterian said: "All they care about is getting organs. They're so aggressive. It's sickening.' The Mirror has contacted the New Mexico Donor Services for comment. It comes after a number of similar cases have put the spotlight on the organ donation process in the US. Anthony Hoover, who was set to be taken off life support and have his organs removed in 2021, woke up suddenly moments before. He suffered sever neurological injuries but survived. Tragically, Misty Hawkins, 42, did not survive hers. She spent weeks in a coma last year before her family decided to donate her organs, and doctors had already sawed into her breastplate when they realised she was still alive
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Comatose woman woke up moments before organ harvesting surgery... but pushy donor boss 'told doctors to operate anyway'
An organ harvesting organization has faced allegations that it urged doctors to remove body parts from a comatose woman - who went on to make a full recovery after medics insisted she showed signs of life. Danella Gallegos said she feels lucky to be alive after her organs were almost taken by 'pushy' donor bosses when she fell into a coma in 2022. Gallegos, who was 38 at the time, was homeless when she suffered an unspecified medical emergency, and doctors at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico told her family she would never recover. Without any hope, her family agreed to donate her organs and preparations were made with procurement organization New Mexico Donor Services. In her final days, Gallegos' family said they saw tears in her eyes - a sign that they say donation coordinators quickly brushed off, claiming watery eyes were just a reflex. On the day her organs were set to be taken, one of Gallegos' sisters said she was adamant Danella was still sentient because she saw her move while holding her hand. Doctors in a pre-surgery room were left stunned when Gallegos, deep in a coma but still medically alive, was able to blink her eyes on the medic's command. But the organ coordinator in the room told doctors that they should ply the patient with morphine and move ahead anyway, according to a New York Times report. Gallegos's doctors defied the coordinators, and they brought her out of surgery. The doctors' decision saved her life - as Gallegos went on to make a full recovery. 'I feel so fortunate,' she says, adding that she recalled feeling fear while in her coma but not much else. 'But it's also crazy to think how close things came to ending differently.' Hospital workers told the Times that they faced pressure from New Mexico Donor Services to forge ahead despite their doubts, which the organization denied. The organ harvesting organization said that it does not interfere with medical decision making, and stressed that only hospitals are in charge of caring for patients. In response, Presbyterian Hospital said that Donor Services was actually responsible for all aspects of the donation process. It has launched an investigation into Gallegos's case. 'All they care about is getting organs,' Neva Williams, a veteran intensive care nurse at the hospital, told the Times. 'They're so aggressive. It's sickening.' New Mexico Donor Services has been contacted by Daily Mail for comment. The harrowing story emerged as mounting scrutiny has fallen on the organ donation industry amid allegations that it is rife with mistakes and abuse. Many such stories have emerged as hospitals increasingly turn to a type of organ removal called 'donation after circulatory death', where a patient is not deemed medically deceased but is not likely to ever recover. These surgeries, which require permission from the patient's family, accounted for a third of all organ donations last year in the US, and triple the number from five years earlier. The space of time between when a person is dead and when their organs are viable is short, meaning that the process can be subject to rushed decisions. In Kentucky, a federal investigation this year found that the state's organ procurement organization had ignored signs of increasing consciousness among 73 donors, including a man whose organs were pursued even as he shook his head and pulled his knees up to his chest. 'I think these types of problems are happening much more than we know,' Dr. Wade Smith, a longtime neurologist at the University of California, San Francisco, told the Times. The organ harvesting industry was met with increased federal oversight last year following a shock hearing that included testimony from another near-miss patient, Anthony Hoover. Hoover was set to be removed from life support and his organs taken in 2021 when he suddenly woke up moments before. He suffered severe neurological injuries, but survived the ordeal. His case led Kentucky authorities to put in place new policies to perform regular neurological testing on patients to scan for brain activity, and develop ways for clinicians to pause donations when they can see a patient is improving. While Hoover was saved moments before he was removed from life support, the Times investigation found that another patient, Misty Hawkins, was only found to still be alive after doctors had already sawed into her chest. Hawkins, 42, fell into a coma last year after choking while eating, and spent weeks in hospital before her mother was faced with the decision of taking her off life support. Her mother eventually decided to go ahead and donate her organs, and 103 minutes after Hawkins was taken off life support she was declared dead. A surgeon sawed through her breastbone, only to discover that her heart was still beating and she appeared to be breathing. Hospital staff said that surgeons 'immediately stopped the procedure once they saw that the donor's heart was beating', but Hawkins sadly passed away a short time later. Experts said that while organ donation saves thousands of lives every year, the industry is rapidly expanding, meaning procurement organizations continually try and arrange more transplants. The Health and Human Services Department has said in 2020 that the growing demand led it to begin grading procurement organizations based on how many organ donations they get each year. Some now say that this leads procurers to pressure doctors to operate on patients on the line between living and dead. Dr. Robert Cannon, a transplant surgeon at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told the Times that he believes the industry has morphed into a vulnerable system where doctors are hesitant to speak out through fear that people could stop donating altogether. 'I don't know the scope of the problem. I don't know that anybody does,' he said. 'That's the scary thing.'
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Yahoo
'A real inspiration': Fallen Bloomfield officer donates organs to three people
Jun. 4—Even after dying, Bloomfield police officer Timothy Ontiveros continued to give to others. On Sunday, the 33-year-old died after being shot by Dennis Armenta, 58, during a traffic stop in Bloomfield on May 26. Armenta was fatally shot by another officer. After being taken off life support, Ontiveros' kidneys and liver were donated to three people, New Mexico Donor Services spokesperson Celina Espinoza said in a phone interview Wednesday. "To lose an officer in the line of duty is really, really difficult," she said, "and for him to continue to give even after serving his community so valiantly is just a real inspiration." Espinoza did not identify the recipients or disclose where they lived, but said the transplants were successful and everyone was "doing well." Ontiveros was not a registered organ donor, Espinoza said. If a person is not registered, their family may make the decision on the dying person's behalf to donate their organs, according to the National Institute of Aging. Ontiveros' family said "he had a true heart for service and would have wanted to continue to help others," Espinoza said. Only 1 in 1,000 hospital deaths happens in a way that allows for an organ donation, according to the Baylor College of Medicine. "It's rare people are able to give the gift of organ donation," Espinoza said. "It's a true miracle every time it happens." Ontiveros had served with the Bloomfield Police Department since December. He was also a volunteer firefighter with the Aztec Fire Department. He previously worked for Farmington police. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham ordered flags to be at half-staff for five days starting Thursday. "Officer Ontiveros exemplified extraordinary bravery and unwavering dedication in serving and protecting his fellow New Mexicans," she said in a statement. "He will be greatly missed by his family and community and will be remembered as a dedicated father to his two daughters, a fighter and a true public servant. "It is appropriate and proper to acknowledge Officer Ontiveros' life and service through a public period of mourning across New Mexico."
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Yahoo
Young boy honored for donating organs following death in Santa Fe mobile home fire
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – It was a somber scene at the University of New Mexico (UNM) Children's Hospital Thursday evening, as family members, friends, and faculty lined the halls to honor a boy donating his organs so that other family's loved ones can live. Story continues below Local: Bryan Cranston makes surprise visit to Albuquerque 'Breaking Bad' store Crime: 12 horses at All American Futurity had illicit drug in their system DWI Scandal: Prominent ABQ attorney admits to running 'DWI Enterprise' scandal A couple of weeks ago, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office rescued two young brothers from a mobile home engulfed in flames. The two brothers were taken to the hospital and received emergency medical care. However, one of them, Vicente Mendoza, died at the hospital as result of injuries. 'This case is hard because it's a young hero,' said Celina Espinoza, External Affairs Director for New Mexico Donor Services. But through the pain and grief, Mendoza and his family are making it possible for other family's loved ones to continue living by donating his organs. To honor Mendoza, his family, friends, and healthcare workers lined the halls of UNMH as he was taken from the ICU to the operating room. 'It's their hardest day when they're saving somebody else's life, but you know that that legacy continues,' Espinoza said. According to New Mexico Donor Services, Vicente and his family will help save three lives with the decision to donate his liver, pancreas, and kidneys. New Mexico Donor Services says it can take up to five years for a recipient to find a match. 'Often times, recipients are within days of dying and so getting that phone call, sometimes in the middle of the night, hearing that you have a match, and that somebody is donating to you, it's just the best news you can get,' Espinoza added. Vicente's family has started a GoFundMe to help them cover medical expenses. People interested in becoming a donor can do so here. The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office said they could not determine what caused the mobile home fire but that a space heater could not be ruled out as a factor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
