Keith Lott of Swedesboro, New Jersey, suffered a sudden heart attack at home on May 16, 2026, while having sex with his wife, Brook. As she awaits arrival of emergency services, she performed CPR on the 47-year-old.
Paramedics later restored a heartbeat before taking him to Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where doctors placed him on a breathing machine. Scans revealed severe brain swelling, and three days later, on May 19, at 4:12 pm, doctors declared Lott brain dead following a series of tests.
Organ harvesting group’s arrival
Within an hour, representatives from the NJ Sharing Network (New Jersey Organ and Tissue Sharing Network) arrived. The organisation is one of two state-designated entities responsible for organ harvesting/procurement. 
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According to Daily Mail, Lott had registered as an organ donor when renewing his driver’s license in 2021. However, after converting to Islam following his marriage in 2023, he opted out of organ donation when he renewed his license again in 2025. His family explained that his Islamic faith required his body to remain whole after death and that burial needed to occur within three days.
The family claimed that the network’s staff argued that Lott’s 2021 registration constituted a legally binding agreement, relying solely on the earlier record. Even after the family presented his 2025 license indicating non-donor status, the network reportedly insisted that Lott should have updated the state registry directly. It asserted that the family had no authority over the decision.
The family alleged that the hospital was instructed to maintain life support to preserve Lott’s organs, and that the network threatened legal action against both the family and the hospital. The conflict left hospital staff caught in the middle, uncertain which directives to follow.
The standoff continued for days until Lott’s niece, an intern for State Senator Paul Moriarty, contacted the senator’s office. Staff from the office intervened, informing the hospital that overriding the family’s wishes and the 2025 license would be improper.
After two hours of the intervention, the NJ Sharing Network agreed to release the body, allowing the family to bury Lott within the required three-day religious timeframe.
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