Tragedy struck an Ohio family when a mother of three, known for her presence on TikTok, passed away following complications from a “mommy makeover” tummy tuck. Her husband shared the heartbreaking news on Wednesday.
Rachel Tussey, aged 47, was officially declared deceased in Cincinnati on Tuesday evening. This came after she was taken off life support earlier in the month as a result of the procedure.
“Last night, my wife Rachel succumbed to her struggles while in hospice care,” wrote her husband, Jeremy Tussey, on a GoFundMe page dedicated to her memory.
“Rachel was a wonderful wife, mother, and individual who made a significant impact on many lives. Her legacy will forever be with us,” he expressed.
Prior to her abdominoplasty surgery on February 25, Rachel had been regularly updating her 27,000 TikTok followers, expressing her anticipation for the operation she had long awaited.
In what would become her final, poignant video, Tussey confidently stated, “I’m in good hands. I know God’s got my back. Let’s do this.” Unfortunately, shortly after the surgery, her condition deteriorated, leading to her becoming unresponsive.
Tussey spent the next few days on a ventilator before her family ultimately decided to switch off life support when she was declared brain dead.
Her surgeon, Dr. Shahryar Tork, has since said the surgery “was completed successfully and without complications” and that “she was awake and in excellent condition” when he last saw her in recovery.
“Rachel was extubated and transferred to the recovery unit (PACU) in excellent condition, where I personally updated Rachel’s husband and brought him to her bedside, where she was awake, speaking with him, and recovering as expected ahead of her planned overnight stay for monitoring,” he said in a statement.
Her grieving husband, however, claimed in a TikTok video to her followers that “somebody dropped the ball here.”
“To me, it looks like incompetency,” he said. “Somebody dropped the ball and killed my wife.”
This is a breaking story. Please check back for updates.
