OTTAWA HILLS, Ohio — Dr. Brian Hoeflinger is a neurosurgeon who works for St. Anne's Hospital and St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo.
You wouldn't think of him as a social media celebrity until you started scrolling through TikTok.
Hoeflinger and his son, Kevin, started making TikToks in June of 2022. In the beginning, it was all about learning about his background as a neurosurgeon.
But then he began to share a story of tragic loss.
"I could just tell from what they said to me," said Dr. Hoeflinger. "I mean I'm the attending trauma surgeon for nursery that night and they won't talk to me. I just, I knew Brian was dead."
That was Dr. Hoeflinger remembering the night of Feb. 2, 2013, the night his son, Brian, died in a one-vehicle accident on his way home from a party, despite pleas from those around him that night for him to stop.
Brian was later found to be driving intoxicated, and ever since then, the family has had to process the loss of a loved one.
"I hear his voice, and I hear him telling me not to be mad or not to, you know, they didn't mean it Mom, or it was just an accident," said Cindy Hoeflinger, Brian's mom. "I just hear his voice."
There have been 3,160 deadly crashes due to operating vehicles under the influence in Ohio in the last five years and 3,454 people have died, according to data, collected by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The effects are a bitter reality for many families who have lost loved ones, and the Hoeflingers are trying to make sure their son's memory is used for good.
"For me, whenever you get comments from people about how impactful it was for them, it definitely gives you an energy and it motivates you," said Kevin Hoeflinger, Brian's brother. "It's definitely hard, but also in a way it's therapeutic. I've always thought by talking about my brother and using him as a positive force for good that keeps his memory alive and I still feel very close to him."
Dr. Hoeflinger's TikTok offers a variety of content and has reached national recognition, including him and his family being featured in a national TikTok commercial in December of 2023.
From a day in the life of a neurosurgeon to inspirational messages and spreading awareness about the dangers of drunk driving, Hoeflinger's goal is to keep his son's spirit alive by offering advice to those online.
"I think that's what it's all about; sending a message that maybe educates people to make better decisions, a better awareness of it," he said. "You're not going to save the world, you're not going to change everybody's minds, but there are people out there who listen that it will change their minds and we've seen that through 11 years of doing this, parents who have contacted us to say the stuff you've done about your son dying has really impacted our kids."
As of Monday, the @doctorhoeflinger TikTok account has over 11 million likes and 500,000 followers.