Andy Hodge, a 38-year-old plumber, went to the emergency room in February 2021 complaining of ongoing leg pain after surgery for a complicated fracture. A month later, he was dead.
According to his sister, Ellie Hodge Hayse, Andy was quickly transferred to Owensboro Health Regional Hospital where his PCR test was positive for COVID. Instead of evaluating his leg pain, Andy was placed on the hospital’s COVID protocol, which included remdesivir and a 14-day prohibition of family visits.
A few days later, Andy suffered a stroke and was placed on a ventilator. And a few days after that, he was declared “brain dead.”
But it turned out that the brain death test had been performed incorrectly, because Andy was on paralyzing drugs at the time of his brain death exam. When the drugs wore off, Andy gagged while his throat was being suctioned, proving that he was NOT brain dead.
Nevertheless, personnel from Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (aka Network for Hope) — the organ procurement organization that was DECERTIFIED this year by HHS — reviewed Andy’s records and visited him at least 3 times during his hospitalization.
Then, when Andy’s sister made arrangements for Andy’s own orthopedic surgeon to come and see him, she was told that the ethics committee had decided to give him a “do not resuscitate” (DNR) status and would not allow this evaluation.
They even put a sign on his door prohibiting anyone from treating him.
“On March 2, 2021, Andy was declared dead. Ellie’s mother learned of Andy’s death in a rushed phone call from Dr. Brad Brasher, one of the physicians treating Andy. ‘He told my mom that Andy passed away, his heart stopped, that he hopes that this gives some closure, and he’s very sorry,’ Ellie said.”
In memory of her brother, Ellie has started an informal group called “Dead Serious…Kinda Not,” that “welcomes anybody who has lost a hospital protocol patient.” The group is now active in about 30 states.
“We can use our voices and our stories,” Ellie said. “We connect dots and get the medical records,” using a tool her group developed that analyzes medical records, puts them in chronological order and “can point the red flags out.” You can follow her at
@SeriouslyKinda
And in response to multiple cases of questionable organ donor evaluations like Andy’s, Kentucky has passed a new law — the first in the nation — that allows families to STOP the organ donation process when there are still signs of life.
- Andy Hodge, a 38-year-old plumber, went to the emergency room in February 2021 complaining of ongoing leg pain after surgery for a complicated fracture. A month later, he was dead. According to his sister, Ellie Hodge Hayse, Andy was quickly transferred to Owensboro Health Regional Hospital where his PCR test was positive for COVID. Instead of evaluating his leg pain, Andy was placed on the hospital’s COVID protocol, which included remdesivir and a 14-day prohibition of family visits. A few days later, Andy suffered a stroke and was placed on a ventilator. And a few days after that, he was declared “brain dead.” But it turned out that the brain death test had been performed incorrectly, because Andy was on paralyzing drugs at the time of his brain death exam. When the drugs wore off, Andy gagged while his throat was being suctioned, proving that he was NOT brain dead. Nevertheless, personnel from Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (aka Network for Hope) — the organ procurement organization that was DECERTIFIED this year by HHS — reviewed Andy’s records and visited him at least 3 times during his hospitalization. Then, when Andy’s sister made arrangements for Andy’s own orthopedic surgeon to come and see him, she was told that the ethics committee had decided to give him a “do not resuscitate” (DNR) status and would not allow this evaluation. They even put a sign on his door prohibiting anyone from treating him. “On March 2, 2021, Andy was declared dead. Ellie’s mother learned of Andy’s death in a rushed phone call from Dr. Brad Brasher, one of the physicians treating Andy. ‘He told my mom that Andy passed away, his heart stopped, that he hopes that this gives some closure, and he’s very sorry,’ Ellie said.” In memory of her brother, Ellie has started an informal group called “Dead Serious…Kinda Not,” that “welcomes anybody who has lost a hospital protocol patient.” The group is now active in about 30 states. “We can use our voices and our stories,” Ellie said. “We connect dots and get the medical records,” using a tool her group developed that analyzes medical records, puts them in chronological order and “can point the red flags out.” You can follow her at @SeriouslyKinda And in response to multiple cases of questionable organ donor evaluations like Andy’s, Kentucky has passed a new law — the first in the nation — that allows families to STOP the organ donation process when there are still signs of life.
Dead Serious they are making a killing
