Grieving Husband Sues After TikToker’s Tragic ‘Mommy Makeover’ Death

The tragic loss of a popular TikToker has sparked a legal battle, as her husband claims that negligence from medical staff led to a fatal overdose of pain medication following her cosmetic surgery. The lawsuit, brought forward by Rachel Tussey’s husband, alleges that inadequate care at a Cincinnati surgery center resulted in her untimely death.

Rachel Tussey, a mother of three and a vibrant presence on TikTok with over 80,000 followers, was eagerly anticipating her “mommy makeover” surgery. She was set to undergo this transformative procedure at JourneyLite Surgery Center on February 25, and she shared her journey with her social media audience.

Before her surgery, Tussey actively documented her experience, even posting a video from her hospital bed just before she was taken into the operating room for the nine-hour procedure. In the video, she expressed her emotions, saying, “I feel a big range of emotions, but mostly it is absolute excitement and gratitude.” She emphasized the support she felt, mentioning, “My husband’s here. I’ve got a great support team, and I’m really looking forward to this next chapter.”

Her optimism was palpable as she asked for prayers, confident in the care she believed she was receiving. “I know it’s gonna be great, and I’ve waited a really long time for this. I’m in good hands. I know God’s got my back,” she reassured her followers in the heartfelt post.

‘Please pray. I know it’s gonna be great, and I’ve waited a really long time for this. I’m in good hands. I know God’s got my back,’ she said later in the post. 

However, according to a lawsuit filed last week by Rachel’s husband, Jeremy Tussey, it turned out that his wife was not truly in good hands. 

The lawsuit states that one of the nurses in JourneyLite’s recovery room caused Rachel to overdose on opioids by administering 150 micrograms of fentanyl and half a milligram of Dilaudid within 30 minutes of her surgery.

That dosage was well above what the mother received during her nine-hour surgery, over the course of which she was administered 100 micrograms of fentanyl and another half milligram of Dilaudid, according to the lawsuit. 

Rachel Tussey, a mother-of-three and TikToker with more than 80,000 followers, died after receiving a tummy tuck surgery. She is pictured with her husband, Jeremy Tussey 

Just before the surgery, Rachel posted a video on TikTok saying she was excited. She is pictured in that video

Rachel died because she was administered too much pain medication and overdosed, according to a lawsuit filed by Jeremy. She is pictured in a hospital bed after she was declared brain dead in a video posted by her husband

Rachel’s overdose caused her to lose oxygen flow to her brain for more than six minutes, and nurses failed to act urgently and respond properly during that crucial timeframe, the lawsuit alleges. 

The lawsuit further stated that after the nurses finally called 911 about nine minutes after she became unresponsive, Rachel was transported to Bethesda North Hospital, where staff determined she was brain dead.

She remained on a ventilator until March 7, when she was transferred to hospice care. She died in hospice on March 17.

Bethesda North Hospital determined that Rachel’s cause of death was an anoxic brain injury and acute respiratory failure caused by an overdose.

The hospital’s staff also ruled out any other potential cause of death, such as complications from the surgery, according to the lawsuit.

About a month before Jeremy filed his lawsuit, Rachel’s surgeon, Dr Shahryar Tork, also filed a lawsuit accusing JourneyLite and its staff of negligence and causing his patient’s death. 

‘Rachel’s death was completely unnecessary and caused by a JourneyLite nurse recklessly overdosing Rachel on narcotics, and by a JourneyLite anesthesiologist abandoning their patient,’ the surgeon told WCPO.

‘This was not a tummy tuck complication; she would be home, I would see her smiling in my office, if other people had done their job right,’ Tork added. 

Rachel died in hospice care on March 17. Staff at the hospital ruled out any cause of death other than a lack of oxygen to her brain caused by an overdose

Rachel’s husband said she was ‘sensitive to drugs’ in a video posted after she was declared brain dead. The couple is pictured together

‘[Rachel’s] low pain medication dosage needs reflected Mrs. Tussey’s low opioid tolerance level,’ the surgeon’s lawsuit stated. 

In a video posted from Bethesda North Hospital while Rachel was still hooked up to a ventilator, her husband similarly said, ‘She was administered too much medicine. 

‘Point five Dilaudid, on top of 150 fentanyl, is way too much for somebody that is so minute, that is so sensitive to drugs,’ he said.

JourneyLite, Associated Anesthesiologists of Springfield, facility administrators and nurses listed as Jane Does were all named as defendants in Jeremy’s lawsuit. 

The civil complaint accused JourneyLite of being responsible for Rachel’s death through ‘systemic failures’ and ‘regulatory violations.’ 

Tork, the surgeon, was not named as a defendant in Jeremy’s lawsuit.

The complaint also accused the surgery center of attempting to alter its records after Rachel died by changing medication doses and administration times, and it cited an email about ‘purging files’ sent by a JourneyLite employee on the day Rachel died. 

Facility administrators even asked Tork to alter his operative notes twice, which he refused to do on both occasions, according to the lawsuit.

Rachel’s surgeon also filed a lawsuit accusing the surgery center and its staff of negligence and said she was ‘taken from her family.’ The mother is pictured with her family

In all, the lawsuit accused the defendants of medical negligence, negligent hiring and retention, spoliation of evidence, negligent infliction of emotional distress and loss of consortium.

Jeremy is seeking compensation exceeding $25,000 per claim, as well as punitive damages and attorney fees. The lawsuit demanded a trial by jury. 

JourneyLite denied all of the accusations laid out in the lawsuit in a statement to the Daily Mail. 

In a GoFundMe set up to help Jeremy pay for medical expenses, Rachel was described as ‘an example of what community and compassion should look like.’ 

‘She dedicated countless hours helping others, including organizing donation efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, collecting supplies and personally delivering essential items to those in need,’ it says on the fundraising page.

‘When someone needed help, Rachel was always the first person to step forward.’