A woman was left in a coma after what should have been a routine plastic surgery. She did come out of the coma months later, but the damage was done. Now her family is asking for help with mounting medical bills.
Linda Perez was a beautiful, loving 18-year-old. But her life drastically changed three years ago.
"Our client was a healthy, independent woman when she walked into the Coral Gables Cosmetic Center for a routine procedure. She left in a coma and is now permanently brain damaged," said Mark Eiglarsh, Perez's attorney.
After undergoing a breast augmentation surgery back in 2013, the now 21-year-old can no longer eat, speak, walk or go to the bathroom by herself.
"Physically, she's no different than an infant who needs 24-hour care for the most basic of activities," Eiglarsh said.
Perez's mother Mariela said these past couple of years have been difficult and a burden on her and her daughter's six-year-old son. Her lawyers said they didn't file a lawsuit because it wasn't worth it financially.
"Because the surgical center didn't have any insurance and the anesthesiologist's insurance was minimal, my client recovered very little," Eiglarsh said.
Perez has been through a lot and will never be the same. Her family and lawyers are also trying to caution others to be careful and do extensive research before undergoing a cosmetic procedure.
"The public needs to know what they're dealing with. Most of these clinics do not carry insurance. People need to do their homework if they're going to be doing something like this," Eiglarsh expressed.
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According to Perez's lawyers, court records also show the anesthesiologist for the procedure, Dr. Mario Albert Diaz, had some issues in the past.
"The anesthesiologist who handled this case was convicted in federal court for a number of crimes, including drug trafficking. He served 30 months in prison and was released to probation," Eiglarsh said.
NBC 6 reached out to the Coral Gables Cosmetic Clinic for a comment. Kubs Lalchandani, attorney for the clinic, released the following statement:
"CGCC is committed to upholding the highest standards of medical care and patient safety. For privacy reasons, CGCC cannot comment on any medical issues related to its patients and is unaware of any pending lawsuit regarding medical services provided at CGCC's facility."
If you'd like to help the family with medical expenses, click here.
