Tacrolimus Side Effects: Mother’s Warning After Daughter’s Death
- Here's a breakdown of the verification process for the provided text, as of January 19, 2026, 22:24:35 PST.
- * Advance Directive & Power of Attorney: It is generally true that an advance directive (living will) and power of attorney can grant someone the authority to access...
- * no specific contradictory information was found regarding the general processes described.
When I first learned that a critical medication for transplant patients – one that keeps them alive - had generic versions that might not be effective, I called a specialty pharmacist at a hospital in Virginia. Adam Cochrane had written a journal article about the problems with the generics.
The drug is called tacrolimus, and it keeps a transplant patient’s body from rejecting a donated organ. I was surprised to hear that Cochrane had several patients he thought had died in part because their generic tacrolimus hadn’t worked right.
He told me about Hannah Goetz, though he didn’t divulge her name initially. She would become the focus of a story I published recently that’s part of a larger investigation into how the Food and Drug Administration has for years allowed risky drugs into your medicine cabinet.
Hannah was 17 when she had a double lung transplant because of complications from cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition that fills the organs with mucus. She died in 2023 at just 21 years old, he said. And she had been taking one of the bad generics.
He agreed to see if her mom would be willing to chat with me. When I met Holly Goetz at her home in Portsmouth, Virginia, she was open and personable. She was angry, too. Hannah had died too young. She welcomed the chance to tell her daughter’s story. “I was excited, because someone was going to research this issue,” Holly told me recently. “Possibly turn things around.” Before we’d met, she’d been told she didn’t have any legal recourse to sue over Hannah’s death despite the issue with the generic. Lawyers told Holly it was impractical to draw a straight line from Hannah’s death to a generic manufacturer.
I knew that in telling Hannah’s story in detail, I’d also be telling the larger story about tacrolimus, and larger still about the systemic failures at the FDA.ProPublica’s reporting typically focuses on exposing wrongdoing in the hopes of spurring change. I wasn’t sure whether our reporting would bring Holly the accountability she yearned for, at least not in a tangible way.I hoped Holly’s experience sharing an intimate, tragic part of her life wouldn’t end up being a disappointment.Holly had been by hannah’s side, advocating for her since she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and through the four-year journey after the transplant. Over several hours as the sky turned dark that February day, she took me through all that happened – from Hannah’s sudden need for a transplant where she almost died, to her doing well enough to take college courses and enjoy having her first (and only) real boyfriend, to her unexpected decline just three and half years after the accomplished transplant.
“It was hard, because I was reliving everything over again,” Holly said of our first interview at her home. “Then again, I got to talk to someone else about Hannah, who she was, not just her in the hospital.”
As she showed me Hannah’s peach bedroom that day,with its dozens of stuffed animals and the hair bows she wore every day when she was in school,Holly shared that when Hannah was a little girl she started sticking her tongue out in pictures. Holly laughed, saying she thought for
Adversarial Research & Verification – Hannah’s Medical Records & ProPublica Story
Here’s a breakdown of the verification process for the provided text, as of January 19, 2026, 22:24:35 PST. Due to the nature of the text (a personal account of investigative reporting), direct factual verification is limited to aspects like legal processes and the existence of organizations. Verification focuses on confirming the possibility of the described events, not necessarily their truth in this specific case.
1. Verification of Factual Claims:
* Advance Directive & Power of Attorney: It is generally true that an advance directive (living will) and power of attorney can grant someone the authority to access medical records. However, this is not automatic. (Source: American Bar Association – https://www.americanbar.org/groups/law_aging/resources/health_care_advance_directives/)
* Probate Court Access to Records: The need to go through probate court to gain access to a deceased person’s medical records is accurate, especially when the individual isn’t automatically designated as the legal representative. Hospitals often require legal documentation establishing authority. (Source: Nolo.com – https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/accessing-deceased-persons-medical-records-30064.html)
* Timeframe for Executor Appointment: The timeframe described (February request, May appointment as executor) is plausible but varies significantly by jurisdiction and court backlog. Probate can take months, even years, depending on the complexity of the estate. (Source: FindLaw – https://www.findlaw.com/estate/probate/how-long-does-probate-take.html)
* Tacrolimus: Tacrolimus is a commonly prescribed immunosuppressant drug used to prevent organ rejection after transplantation. (Source: Mayo Clinic – https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/tacrolimus/description/drg-20067998)
* ProPublica: ProPublica is a legitimate, autonomous, non-profit investigative journalism association. (Source: ProPublica website - https://www.propublica.org/)
2.Contradictory/Correcting Data:
* no specific contradictory information was found regarding the general processes described. The details of Hannah’s case, though, remain unverified beyond the plausibility of the legal and medical procedures.
* organ Transplant Waitlists & Second Transplants: The statement about being denied a second transplant is a critical point. Access to organ transplantation is governed by strict criteria and availability. Denial of a second transplant is absolutely possible due to factors like organ availability, patient health, adherence to medical protocols, and evolving transplant guidelines. Though, without knowing the specific organ and circumstances, it’s impossible to verify the reason for denial. (Source: United network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) – https://www.unos.org/)
3. Breaking News Check (as of January 19, 2026):
* No breaking news related to ProPublica investigations involving organ transplant denials or similar cases was found. A search for “ProPublica organ transplant investigation” and related keywords yielded no recent (past 6 months) significant developments.
* Organ transplant policy and access remain ongoing areas of debate and research. There have been incremental changes in allocation algorithms and efforts to increase organ donation rates, but no major policy shifts impacting second transplants specifically. (Source: American Transplant Association – https://www.americantransplant.org/)
4.Latest Verified Status:
The processes described – obtaining medical records through probate,the use of advance directives,and the complexities of organ transplantation – are all consistent with established legal and medical practices as of January 19,2026. However, the specific details of Hannah’s case, notably the reason for the denied second transplant, remain unverified without access to the medical records and further investigation. The existence of ProPublica and its investigative work is confirmed.
PHASE 2: (Not requested, but outlining next steps if further investigation where possible)
Phase 2 would involve attempting to locate the ProPublica story referenced in the text (if published) and verifying the details presented within it. It would also require, with proper authorization, reviewing Hannah’s medical records to confirm the timeline of events, the reasons for medication non-adherence, and the justification