Update: Anne Heche's Life Support To Be Taken Off After Pairing With Organ Recipient
Anne Heche will bid goodbye for good soon.
Days after she was declared brain dead, Heche's representative disclosed that the actress is now expected to be taken off her life support.
Spokesperson Holly Baird said that Heche was kept on life support to preserve her organs before they could be donated to recipients who matched her.
Meanwhile, PEOPLE noted that the information about organ donation, including the list of recipient/s, is not publicized. However, her representative disclosed last week that Heche wanted to donate her organs for a long time.
The new update came after the family released an official notice confirming her passing at the age of 53.
"Anne will be deeply missed but she lives on through her beautiful sons, her iconic body of work, and her passionate advocacy. Her bravery for always standing in her truth, spreading her message of love and acceptance, will continue to have a lasting impact," it said.
She is considered legally dead according to California law after her doctors announced that she is already brain dead.
Even as of press time, heart remains beating for the organ donation through OneLegacy Foundation.
Anne Heche Never Woke Up Again
Her family was hopeful she would wake up again as the representative said a few days after the car crash that she was in a stable condition.
However, days later, they divulged that she was in an "extremely critical condition."
"She has a significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical intervention. She is in a coma and has not regained consciousness since shortly after the accident," the update revealed.
After the update, her loved ones already declared she might not survive her car crash due to "a severe anoxic brain injury" and falling into a coma.
According to Headway The Brain Injury Association, severe anoxia can result in coma. The brain's nerve cells become sensitive to a lack of oxygen due to the high demand for energy.
Heche drove herself into a residential home caused her vehicle to be engulfed in flames.
Fifty-nine firefighters responded but still took 65 minutes before she was pulled out. She was still able to speak at that time but eventually lost consciousness. The Los Angeles Fire Department responders explained that it took them an hour before they were able to "access, confine and fully extinguish the stubborn flames within the heavily damaged structure."
