published a book about the transplant titled “The Organ Thieves: The Shocking Story of the First Heart Transplant in the Segregated South” and called on the university to apologize.
Turner said she left that meeting not knowing what to expect but hoping officials would respond with action that showed they understood the harm that was caused and the value in honoring his life. Even before his death, the local Black community held a distrust of the hospital, she said. His stolen organs confirmed those fears for many.
“I’m feeling optimistic that what they say they will do is what they will do,” Turner said. “It’s important in terms of reconciliation and accountability and justice for Bruce.” “That would be a complete embrace of the pain they endured and are still enduring,” Jones said of the family.Jones said he set out to write a book about the race to perform a heart transplant when he found Tucker’s name and started looking into what happened to him. Some of the details he unearthed: Tucker was talking when he arrived at the hospital but soon ended up connected to a ventilator.