A New Mexico woman who survived a coma is speaking out after nearly having her organs harvested while still alive, as a damning new report raises serious questions about the integrity and ethics of the organ procurement industry in the United States.
Danella Gallegos, 38 at the time, was homeless and comatose when doctors at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque told her family there was no hope of recovery. The family agreed to donate her organs — until signs of life forced medical staff to call off the procedure just in time.
“She Was Still There”: Sister’s Instinct Saves Her Life
According to family members, they noticed tears in Danella’s eyes in her final hours — a detail dismissed by organ procurement staff as mere reflexes. On the day her organs were to be harvested, a sister insisted Danella moved in response to being touched.
Doctors brought her into a pre-surgery room. That’s when, on command, Danella blinked — a clear, conscious reaction.
Despite this, a New Mexico Donor Services coordinator allegedly told doctors to continue with the organ harvest by sedating her with morphine, according to
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