Woman Wakes Up Just Before Organ Donation as Medics and Family Spot Chilling Signs She Was Still Alive

A woman who had been declared effectively brain-dead and lined up for organ donation stunned doctors after she started blinking and moving just before surgery was due to begin.

Danella Gallegos had been in a coma at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after suffering a mysterious medical emergency in 2022. She was homeless at the time and had no memory of what happened to her before waking up in hospital. Her family had been told there was no hope of recovery, and with heavy hearts, they agreed to donate her organs to help others in need.

New Mexico Donor Services stepped in to prepare for the transplant, saying they serve millions in the state by connecting patients with life-saving organs and tissue. But not everyone was convinced Danella was truly beyond saving.

In the lead-up to the scheduled operation, her family noticed small but troubling signs. They said tears were forming in her eyes — which they believed could be a sign she was still aware. When they raised the concern, donation staff reportedly dismissed it, claiming it was just a reflex.

Things escalated on the day of the planned surgery. Danella’s sister held her hand and was shocked to feel movement — a clear signal in her eyes that her sister might still be in there. The final moment came when medics themselves reportedly asked Danella to blink — and she did. It left the room in disbelief.

A New York Times report claims that despite these developments, a persistent organ donation coordinator urged the medical team to proceed and even suggested Danella be given morphine to dull her reactions and move forward with the operation. The hospital doctors refused to comply and pulled her from surgery — a move that ultimately saved her life.

Danella later made a full recovery. Looking back, she said: “I feel so fortunate,” though she also admitted that all she could remember from the coma was a vague sense of fear. “But it’s also crazy to think how close things came to ending differently.”

The donation service has denied pressuring any staff, saying they never interfere in patient care decisions and that hospitals are solely responsible for those choices. But Presbyterian Hospital pushed back, claiming the donation organisation was in charge of everything and that a formal investigation has now been launched to get to the bottom of it.

One ICU nurse didn’t mince words when describing the culture around donations, saying: “All they care about is getting organs. They’re so aggressive. It’s sickening.”

The Mirror has contacted New Mexico Donor Services for comment but is still awaiting a response.

This case isn’t the first of its kind in the US. Back in 2021, Anthony Hoover was nearly taken off life support for donation — but miraculously regained consciousness just in time. He survived with serious neurological damage. Tragically, another woman, Misty Hawkins, wasn’t so lucky. She was declared brain-dead and had her breastplate sawn open for organ removal when medics realised too late she was still alive.