Kentucky woman says she was fired after raising concerns about organ donation case

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Kentucky woman claims she was fired and retaliated against for speaking out about a Richmond man who woke up as doctors prepared to remove his organs.

Nycki Martin, a former employee with Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates, said her job involved assisting in the organ recovery process.

"We would set up the OR, set up the back table," Martin said. "We would help with organ retrieval, if needed, then package the organs."

Martin worked at KODA in 2021 for about a year as a surgical preservation coordinator.

But she became concerned after the case of TJ Hoover, who now lives in Richmond with his sister and still has medical issues. In 2021, Hoover overdosed, and his medical paperwork stated he was "a declared brain dead patient being maintained for harvesting of organs."

Martin said she wasn't in the operating room during Hoover's case but was on the phone with a KODA employee as preparations were underway.

"I had reviewed T.J.'s case and I knew what was going on with it," she said. "TJ's moving around. He's obviously not going to proceed with this case, and KODA admin kept pushing to find another surgeon to complete this case because we're going to do it."

A doctor later called off the procedure after Hoover regained consciousness.

Martin said she resigned shortly afterward.

"I put my two weeks in," she said. "We had a critical debriefing with all the staff in TJ's case. I didn't like how it was handled. We were basically told we did everything correctly. Everything was done per protocol — which I know it wasn't."

Last year, KODA merged with LifeCenter Organ Donor Network to become Network for Hope.

As Hoover's story became public and Martin began speaking with members of Congress, she said her career in the transplant industry ended.

"I'm not clear why I was fired," she said. "I was just told two days after the hearing 'KODA called and doesn't want you in ORs anymore.'"

During a Congressional hearing, Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., said Martin's testimony was critical.

"We would not necessarily know about the depths that this has gone at KODA were it not for that whistleblower who was subsequently fired by a procurement agency," Houchin said.

Network for Hope CEO Barry Massa disputed Martin's claims.

"If you really look into the facts that have occurred, that is absolutely not the case," Massa said. "We've written letters to Congress giving our facts to the situation and we have never heard back from them. So that absolutely did not occur."

When asked if Martin was retaliated against for speaking out, Massa said "No."

Massa said organ donation remains a safe process and additional safeguards and stronger communication were put in place under his leadership. The organization also said Hoover was never declared brain dead.

Hoover's case has become the center of a federal investigation by the Health Resources and Services Administration, which found issues with patient-family interactions, medical assessments and recognition of high neurological function.

Martin said she continues to work with Congress.

"Right now, we're in the accountability phase of things," she said. "I think, right now, especially being in health care ... Network for Hope has to be held accountable for what they've done. It's not enough to say we're putting policies and procedures in place, because we had policies and procedures in place before TJ's case and those policies and procedures were not upheld."

Kentucky man woke up just before organ removal surgery, sparking federal investigation