An Ohio mother of three who documented her cosmetic surgery journey on TikTok has been declared brain dead following alleged complications.
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Rachel Tussey, 47, had shared updates with her more than 25,000 followers in the days leading up to her tummy tuck procedure, including a consultation with her doctor on February 25.
In her posts, she expressed both excitement and nerves about the surgery.
She said that she was "super pumped" and had "a lot of life to live." Before adding "God's got my back. Let's do this."
However, on March 3, her husband Jeremy Tussey revealed that the procedure had taken a devastating turn.
TikTok Brain Dead Case Shocks Family After Surgery Complications
Jeremy said he was waiting for his wife to finish surgery when he received a call around 5:45PM and was told that he could enter the recovery room.
According to him, Rachel's doctor initially reassured him that the procedure "went great."
Jeremy said he was sitting with his wife when a nurse entered the room and asked Rachel how she was feeling after receiving pain medication.
"Next thing you know, I look down and her face is off color," Jeremy said, via PEOPLE. "I assumed it was from the surgery, you know [from] a lack of blood."
Rachel soon became unresponsive, prompting emergency efforts to save her life. A nurse began CPR before paramedics transported her to TriHealth Bethesda North Hospital.
She was placed on life support, and Jeremy said she had been without oxygen for more than six minutes.
Doctors later informed him that she had been declared brain dead.
Family Alleges Negligence as Fundraiser Gains Support
Jeremy has since raised concerns about the response to his wife's condition. He claims that there "was no sense of urgency" when her health began to decline.
"To me, it looks like incompetence. Somebody dropped the ball and killed my wife," he said.
A GoFundMe page created to support the family has raised over $37,000 towards a $40,000 goal.
"On Wednesday, February 25th, Rachel underwent a surgery that tragically resulted in an unfortunate situation of medical neglect," the fundraiser description reads. "Following the procedure, she suffered severe brain damage after extended loss of oxygen and was placed on a ventilator under sedation."
"On March 5th, her husband Jeremy faced the unimaginable and heartbreaking decision to remove her from life support."
The page adds that Rachel remains in a "vegetative state resulting in an unfortunate likelihood of slowly passing away," while noting that her family continues to hold onto hope despite the difficult prognosis.
Rachel is currently receiving end-of-life care in hospice as her family navigates the aftermath of the tragic incident.
