Family issues update after woman is left with serious brain damage after ‘tummy tuck’
A mother-of-three who underwent a tummy tuck suffered 'profound irreversible brain damage' in wake of the procedure, her family said.
Rachel Tussey's loved ones have told how they have 'lost the leader of their family' after she allegedly experienced complications following the major surgery.
The 47-year-old had excitedly shared a video about her impending 'mommy makeover' with her more than 70,000 TikTok followers last month, before tragedy struck.
Rachel had been documenting her preparation process on social media as she geared up to go under the knife and shared a clip on 25 February showing her sporting a hospital gown.
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"It's my turn," she said in the video. "I feel a big range of emotions, but mostly it is absolutely excitement and gratitude. My husband's here, I've got a great support team and I'm really looking forward to this next chapter."
"If you're a praying person, I will absolutely take your prayers," she said, before later adding: "Please pray, I know it's going to be great and I've waited a really long time for this. I'm in good hands, I know God's got my back."
Sadly, the next update was delivered by Rachel's husband Jeremy, rather than her, on 3 March - and he explained that his spouse suffered serious complications in the wake of the tummy tuck.
In a video uploaded to TikTok, Jeremy claimed that the surgeon 'assured him that the surgery went great'. According to the dad, he then went to see his wife in the recovery area and realised that her face was 'off colour'.
"I assumed it was from the surgery, you know, from a lack of blood," Jeremy continued, before recalling how Rachel then became unresponsive, prompting nurses to begin performing CPR.
He noted that he found it 'weird' that there didn't appear to be 'any sense of urgency', despite his spouse's lips 'turning blue', adding: "I'm just a dumb construction worker, but I could tell something was wrong."
Jeremy claimed that staff at the facility in Ohio consulted with the plastic surgeon who 'assessed the situation'. The surgeon is said to have then told the nurses to call for emergency services.
Subsequently, Rachel was taken to the TriHealth Bethesda North Hospital via ambulance before being placed on life support.
Jeremy claimed that medics told him his wife went 'without oxygen for six minutes', which left her 'brain dead'.
According to a lawyer who is now representing the Tussey family, Bernard Layne, Rachel suffered an anoxic brain injury.
The Brain Injury Association explains that this can occur if the oxygen supply to the brain is interrupted, as 'the functioning of the brain is disturbed immediately and irreversible damage can quickly follow'.
Layne confirmed that the mum-of-three is now on palliative care and suggested that there is no 'medical or scientific pathway to recovery' for her.
"Medical professionals, in charge of her care, placed her in palliative hospice care, where she remains today," he told the Daily Mail.
"We would like to thank the well wishers around the world for your prayers and concern for Rachel and her family. It is tragic, they're shocked.
"They've lost the leader of their family. They're holding up, but missing their key component."
The surgeon who performed Rachel's procedure, Dr Shahryar Tork, has also spoken out about the incident, saying he is 'struggling to understand how this could have occurred'.
In a statement shared to LADbible on Wednesday (11 March), Dr Tork said: "I am heartbroken for Rachel Tussey and her family. My thoughts remain with her loved ones during this devastating time.
"Like them, I am struggling to understand how this could have occurred. It is important to clarify that the surgery did not take place at my private practice, Tork Plastic Surgery, nor do I own or operate the independently owned ambulatory surgery facility where the procedure occurred. Rachel’s surgery was completed successfully and without complications."
Dr Tork confirmed he 'personally updated Rachel’s husband and brought him to her bedside', adding: "She was awake, speaking with him, and recovering as expected ahead of her planned overnight stay for monitoring.
"Because Rachel was scheduled to remain overnight, her post-operative monitoring was overseen by staff contracted by the independent facility, not by my practice. I was later notified that her condition had unexpectedly changed and immediately returned to assist with her care and transfer to Bethesda North Hospital, where I remained with the family and continued to offer support.
"I have discontinued all procedures at that surgery centre. Out of respect for Rachel and her family, and due to patient privacy laws, I will not comment further."
A GoFundMe set up to 'support the Tussey family' stated that Jeremy 'faced the unimaginable and heartbreaking decision to remove her from life support' on 5 March.
"While Rachel is still breathing at this time, neurology evaluations have confirmed that her brain is in a vegetative state resulting in an unfortunate likelihood of slowly passing away," it explained.
"Rachel’s family holds out hope while staying by her side, but they are also aware of the medical prognosis they have been given. Rachel is currently receiving end of life care in hospice."
Olivia Burke