Survivors

These are the faces and stories of people who lived to tell the tale

Harrison Ellmer

Diagnosed "Brain Dead" in January 2013 at only three weeks old. He has made a near complete recovery with only mild complications.

CW: Article involves photos of infant Harrison in the ICU

Jahi Mcmath

2000 - 2018

Declared "Brain Dead" in the state of California in December 2013. She lived five more years in New Jersey post diagnosis, passing away in 2018 due to liver failure.

Lewis Roberts

Declared "Brain Stem Dead" in March 2021, he started breathing on his own hours before his organs were to be harvested for donation. Today he's playing football (soccer) and basketball.

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Taylor Hale

Diagnosed "Brain Dead" in September 2011, after being taken off life support, she started breathing on her own. She graduated high school in 2015 with the rest of her class, and has been living a normal life.

Zack Dunlap

Declared "Brain Dead" in November 2007, Zack heard the doctors pronounce his 'death'. Minutes before his organ harvest was about to begin, his cousin proved he had reflexes. After 48 days in the hospital, he was sent home and lives a fully recovered life.

2019 Video Interview

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Pastor Ryan Marlow

Diagnosed "Brain Dead" in August 2022, Pastor Marlow's wife pushed for second opinions and additional testing. After being seen by a specialist the initial diagnosis was withdrawn.

George Pickering III

Declared brain dead in January 2015, George's father held a SWAT team off at gunpoint in the hospital after believing doctors were "moving too fast." During this three hour siege with the police, George III started responding by moving his hand.

Gloria Cruz

Diagnosed "Brain Dead" in March 2014, her husband was told she was a hopeless case, but he pushed for additional care anyway. A little over two weeks later she woke up.

1942 - 2015

Declared "Brain Dead" in February 2008 at 65 years old, Raeleane's family had taken her home and were making funeral arrangements when she responded to questions after signs of life, and made a near complete recovery. She passed away peacefully in 2015 from old age.

Colleen S. Burns

1969 - 2011

Diagnosed "brain dead" after an attempted overdose in 2009, she was never given adequate testing at the hospital, and awoke on the operating table minutes before her organs were harvested. Sadly, she passed away in 2011 of depression.

Steven Thorpe

Declared "Brain Dead" in February 2008 after only two days in the hospital, his parents refused to accept the diagnosis, and demanded a second opinion. After four doctors confirmed the diagnosis, the family still refused to give up, and two weeks later, Steven woke up.

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Trenton McKinley

Diagnosed "Brain Dead" in March 2018, his parents had signed papers for his organ donation in order for the hospital to continue life support for viable organ harvest. The day before the harvest surgery he started showing signs of life and began a long recovery.

Kaleb Crook

Declared "Brain Dead" in December 2018, Kaleb Crook continued to breathe on his own and squeeze his mother's finger even after doctors had removed life support

Jennifer Hamann

In 1985, doctors called her "Brain Dead", but her husband refused to make her an organ donor. She made a complete recovery and became a nurse as a result.

James Howard-Jones

Diagnosed brain dead after being attacked on a night out in April 2022, his family asked doctors to delay the organ donation for a week so James’ friends and family could say goodbye. Waiting the few extra days led to James waking up, despite his diagnosis.

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Anthony Thomas "TJ" Hoover II

In 2021 TJ Hoover was diagnosed brain dead, but opened his eyes while being wheeled to the operating room to harvest his organs. He later recovered enough to dance at his sister's wedding!

Maseret

Maseret was a 17-year-old from Australia when she was diagnosed brain dead in 2001 after a suspected hit-and-run. Her best friend, Katherine, shares the story of demanding that her friend be given a chance to wake up

Michele De Leeuw

Michele suffered a heart attack in 2018, and was without oxygen for 15 minutes. She was expected to be brain dead, and then woke up moments after being removed from life support. Eventually, after open-heart surgery and lots of physical therapy, she made a full recovery.

T. Scott Marr

Marr was found unresponsive by his son in December 2018. He was declared brain dead, and his children began to plan his funeral, but two days later, he unexpectedly woke up.

Suzzane Chin

In 2009, Suzzane was diagnosed brain dead following a sudden heart attack. Three days later woke up, even though her husband had been advised to remove her from life support. She credits it as a miracle from God, and speaks of her near-death experience.

Sam Schmid

After a car crash in 2011, Sam was declared brain dead. He later started raising his fingers after over a week in the hospital, and doctors called it a 'miracle.'

Madeleine Gauron

After gum surgery, the 76 year old woman choked on food when left unattended, fell into a coma, and was declared brain dead. Her doctors told her family that her eyes would be particularly useful for organ donation, but a few days later, after the family delayed the donation, she woke up.

Val Thomas

After three heart attacks, doctors declared Mrs. Thomas brain dead and suggested her family consider organ donation. While removing her from the ventilator, she woke up and responded to the nurse. She has made a full recovery.

Jan Kerkhoffs

In his book, "Droomvlucht in coma" (Dreamflight in a coma), Jan speaks of his experiences hearing himself being declared brain dead. His family refused to send him to be an organ donor, and he woke up three weeks after his diagnosis. There are several translated excerpts available; one is below

Esmee Feenstra

Esmee gave an interview in a Netherlands documentary film in 2019 detailing her experience of being in a coma and hearing people discuss how she should be an organ donor after the doctors began the 'brain death protocol.' She has since made a full recovery.

(This article is in Dutch but has a translation feature available.)

Danella Gallegos

In 2022, Danella became unresponsive and her family gave consent for her to be an organ donor via the controlled Donation after Circulatory Death protocol. But when she began to blink on command, her medical team refused to continue, despite the New Mexico Donor Service's insistence. She has fully recovered and filed a complaint with DHHS.

Larry Black Jr.

After arriving at a St. Louis hospital after being shot in the head, Larry was taken to have his organs harvested, despite the doubts of his family, and without the knowledge of his neurosurgeon. The surgeon stopped the procedure, saving his life. He was never diagnosed brain dead, and his heart was beating, but still, he was on an operating room table to be harvested.