Lawyer pleas for help to raise funds for woman left brain damaged after breast implant surgery
Linda Perez was only 18 when a botched breast implant surgery left her severely brain damaged.
The result left the young mother needing a lifetime of care, and turned her family's life upside down.
In August 2013, Ms Perez went to the Coral Gables Cosmetic Center in Florida, where she paid $2,800 for breast surgery.
However the procedure didn’t go to plan, and minutes later she experienced breathing problems and her heart rate and blood pressure dropped dramatically.
She was rushed to hospital unconscious and remained in a coma for months.
State records indicated she had suffered brain damage due to a lack of oxygen.
Later it became known the anesthesiologist who treated Ms Perez is a convicted felon who had his medical license suspended.
It’s reported Dr Mario Albert Diaz had served 30 months in prison for drug trafficking, before he treated Ms Perez.
WSVN reported the family sued the clinic however they were only able to recover a limited amount in damages as it wasn’t insured.
The amount they recovered was so low, the lawyers involved in the case reportedly waived their fee.
Ms Perez’s attorney Mark Eiglarsh also set up a GoFundMe page to help her and her young son with their ‘astronomical’ medical bills.
“Linda Perez was 18 when she went in for a ‘routine’ procedure at the Coral Gables Cosmetic Center in August 2013,” he wrote.
“She left the center in a coma and remained in a vegetative state for approximately three months.”
Ms Perez is unable to walk, eat, bathe or go to the bathroom without help and needs 24/7 care.
He estimated her therapy and medical costs were in the millions.
Dr Diaz’s medical license was listed as active on the Florida Department of Health’s website.
State records said he failed to meet the prevailing standard of care in Ms Perez’s case.
He was fined $10,000 in January after reaching a settlement with the health department and is currently unable to practice medicine in Florida.
Despite this, the department allowed him to keep his medical license following a one-year suspension upon his release from prison.
He was instead required to remain under supervision of a licensed doctor.
The doctor who performed Ms Perez’s surgery was Dr Jacob Freiman who has a clean record and is a board-certified plastic surgeon.
In 2014 Dr Freiman stated that information about Ms Perez’s medical history, such as issues with anesthesia in the past, had been kept from him.
Ms Perez’s mother is still hopeful she will get justice for her daughter and wanted to share her daughter’s story to serve as a cautionary tale to women considering cosmetic surgery.
News break – May 26
