The surgeon who performed a tummy tuck on influencer Rachel Tussey, 47, has issued a public statement after the mother’s condition deteriorated following the procedure, her family said. Tussey, who documented her cosmetic surgery journey on TikTok, has been described by relatives as brain‑dead and is receiving hospice care; the family does not expect her to recover.

Surgeon issues statement

Dr. Shahryar Tork said he was “heartbroken” for Tussey and her family and that he remains “struggling to understand how this could have occurred.” In his remarks to media, Tork said the operation was completed “successfully and without complications,” that he personally updated Tussey’s husband in the recovery unit and that he returned to assist when her condition changed.

Dr. Shahryar Tork’s full statement (excerpt)

“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. 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. 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 center. Out of respect for Rachel and her family, and due to patient privacy laws, I will not comment further.”

Family account, status and responses

The family’s GoFundMe and local reports say Tussey’s brain lost a considerable amount of oxygen and was left with minimal activity. According to the account from her husband, Jeremy, Tussey became unresponsive after returning to the recovery room and a nurse began CPR. Jeremy told outlets he believed his wife was “without oxygen for six minutes.”

After she was deemed brain‑dead, the family said Jeremy faced the decision to remove life support. The same reports also state Tussey is on hospice care and the family does not expect recovery. The family has established a GoFundMe and has retained a lawyer, though no lawsuit has been filed, local reporting says.

Public reaction and memory

Tussey had documented her cosmetic surgery journey on TikTok and built an audience that followed her recovery. Friends and family remembered her in online messages and on the GoFundMe page. A friend, June McCune, wrote that Tussey showed up for others without hesitation and was “truly full of life.”

Out of respect for patient privacy, Dr. Tork said he would not comment further. Media reports indicate the facility where the surgery took place is independently owned and that Dr. Tork has ceased performing procedures at that center.

Image Referance: https://www.the-sun.com/news/16077311/rachel-tussey-tummy-tuck-brain-dead-doctor-update/