The plastic surgeon who performed a tummy tuck on a TikTok mom before she died from a catastrophic brain injury has said he is “struggling to understand” what happened.
Dr Shahryar Tork, a double-board-certified plastic surgeon based in Cincinnati, said the Feb. 25 surgery on Rachel Tussey “was completed successfully and without complications,” and “she was awake and in excellent condition” when he last saw her in recovery.
“I am heartbroken for Rachel Tussey and her family. My thoughts remain with her loved ones during this devastating time,” Tork said in a statement to TMZ.
“Like them, I am struggling to understand how this could have occurred.
“Rachel’s surgery was completed successfully and without complications,” he said. “When I last saw her in the recovery room as she prepared for her planned overnight stay, she was awake and in excellent condition with her husband by her side.”
Tussey, a 47-year-old mom of three, had documented her cosmetic surgery journey for more than 27,000 followers on TikTok in the days leading up to the procedure.
“I’m in good hands. I know God’s got my back. Let’s do this,” an enthusiastic Tussey said in her last video, dressed in a hospital gown just hours before surgery, alongside the caption #midlifeglowup and #mommymakeover.
But what was supposed to be a routine appointment quickly turned into a nightmare, her husband Jeremy Tussey later revealed in an update on TikTok.
Jeremy said he had been waiting in the recovery area when he was called back to his wife’s room around 5:45 p.m. after the operation.
He briefly spoke with the doctor, who was leaving for the day and allegedly reassured him that the surgery had gone well.
Moments later, Jeremy said he heard his wife calling out for him — before noticing something was wrong.
“Next thing you know, I look down and her face is off color,” he recalled. “I assumed it was from the surgery, you know, from a lack of blood.”
When Tussey stopped responding, medical staff began performing CPR. She was rushed to TriHealth Bethesda North Hospital and placed on life support.
Jeremy said doctors later told him she had gone more than six minutes without oxygen and had suffered a severe brain injury. Tussey was eventually moved to hospice care after life support was withdrawn and later died.
Bernard Layne III, a personal injury attorney representing the family, said Tussey suffered a permanent anoxic brain injury after undergoing a surgical procedure at a private surgical center in Cincinnati.
“At this time, we will not comment on any aspect of culpability or liability in this matter,” Layne said, adding that the focus is on supporting the grieving family.
Jeremy said he is determined to understand what went wrong.
“To me, it looks like incompetence. Somebody dropped the ball here,” he said.
Tussey leaves behind her husband and their three children, Tristan, Alec and Livi.
