Andrea Mauk was on holiday in Costa Rica when she received the devastating news that her son, Damon, had died in a car crash. The 18-year-old had recently completed high school and was pursuing his real-estate licence when he lost control of his vehicle on a rural road and hit a tree in Lucas, Ohio, on 24 June 2023.
Andrea, who was travelling with her husband and friends, said she required sedation after learning of her son's death. She rushed home, but upon arrival uncovered a second nightmare: portions of Damon's body had been taken as "anatomical gifts" without her authorisation.
Consent given by biological father
Speaking to the New York Post, the 42-year-old mother said: "I was completely devastated. I went to the funeral home and couldn't even look at him after they'd taken pieces of his body." She added: "They stole my son's eyes. I didn't want to remember Damon like that."
The hospital never contacted her, despite documentation identifying her as her son's primary emergency contact. Damon was not registered as an organ donor. Permission to harvest his organs had been granted by Damon's biological father, a man Andrea claims had minimal involvement in their son's life. In legal terms, the Organ Procurement Organisation (OPO) had functioned within its lawful remit, but Andrea was baffled as to why she was never reached.
Campaign for Damon's Law
Andrea told the New York Post she was left devastated and powerless in a foreign country, with no authority and no communication from those removing her son's organs. "I loved Damon very deeply," she said. "I had him when I was very young, and we always joked that we brought each other up. We were incredibly close. A call to me was all I wanted. Decisions I didn't get to take part in were made."
She is now resolved to see 'Damon's Law' written into legislation to tighten hospital protocols surrounding tissue and organ donation. "One 'yes' over the phone from Damon's estranged biological father was all it took for his heart tissue, skin, eyes, and ligaments to be removed without my knowledge or consent and before a complete autopsy could be performed," she said. "My son's body parts were then sent to for-profit tissue centres, and his eyes were sent as far away as Argentina. Congress must pass Damon's Law to stop organ procurement organisations from pressuring grieving families, require truly informed consent, and keep donated body parts from being shipped to or sold by for-profit companies."
She added: "While facing the worst loss of my life, I was denied the chance to give my son the goodbye I had hoped for. Instead, I was forced to fight for answers. I testified before the Ohio Senate and took a public records case all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court, helping lead to higher transparency laws in the state. No family should have to fight this hard for the truth."
Reforms announced
Andrea maintains there are no records showing that anyone from the hospital had tried to reach her after Damon died. "After deciding 30 minutes was a 'reasonable' amount of time to reach me, they turned to Damon's biological father, who had no custody, was not involved in his life, and had never helped make medical decisions for him. I have found no record that anyone called me," she said, adding: "The medical records only show that I called the hospital."
Andrea is convinced current laws fail to adequately safeguard bereaved families, but she is not opposed to organ donation itself. "I believe in organ donation," she said, before adding: "This is not about ending the gift of life."
On 21 July, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced sweeping reforms for the organ transplant system, including clear, enforceable policies to define donor eligibility criteria. The reforms follow an investigation that exposed disturbing practices by a major organ procurement organisation operating across Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio, where Damon and Andrea resided. The inquiry uncovered cases in which some patients may have still been alive when their organs started being removed, inadequate neurological assessments, poor coordination with medical teams, and dubious consent practices.
Fox News medical analyst Dr Marc Siegel has praised Robert F. Kennedy, the US Health and Human Services Secretary, for "bringing to light horror stories about the dark corners of organ harvesting". Current legislation governing organ and tissue donations is overseen by a combination of state and federal laws that overlap. US federal law requires hospitals participating in Medicare or Medicaid to notify OPOs of deaths and imminent deaths, many within 60 minutes, even if a patient isn't a registered donor. OPOs are obligated to approach family members of potential donors, and failure to do so results in financial penalties, which has fostered a culture within some OPOs where grieving families find themselves under pressure. This is precisely why Andrea is campaigning for reform, in honour of her beloved son, whom she still refers to as the light of her life.
