A Californian woman undergoing a liposuction procedure in Mexico, died in a San Diego hospital this Saturday after a series of complications that made her fell into a coma. The 51-year-old woman had scheduled to travel to Mexico in October. She died a month later.

Irma Saenz, from Los Angeles, never said anything about the cosmetic surgery to her family. But when the members received the phone call from the Tijuana hospital, as they wrote on the GoFundMe campaign, they ran right away to the city to look for the lady. Unfortunately, she was already in a coma, and doctors couldn’t do something to wake her up.

According to Nora, Saenz’ niece, the family had known about previous surgeries that ended up fatal. But they never thought they were going to have such an experience at “first hand.”

Her nephew, David Reynoso, wrote on the GoFundMe campaign that the doctors told Irma’s family when they arrived the Tijuana hospital that she was going to be alright. But the days passed, and none of them saw any improvements.

Liposuction procedure, Liposuction before and after, Liposuction risks, Surgery in Mexico
Irma Saenz died after being in a coma because she wanted to undergo a liposuction procedure. Image credit: GoFundMe

After three round days, the family decided to take Irma back to the United States. She was carried to a San Diego hospital, where doctors put her on a ventilator. Unfortunately, she died a few days later due to a lack of oxygen to the brain.

“You see a lot of people getting their bodies redone. Mommy makeovers, what have you,” Sanz’s niece Nora told CBS. “And people that don’t have the financial backing are looking for a way of getting it done at a cheaper cost and I think that’s what my aunt did.”

The family said that Irma had two rough weeks fighting against the coma upon her return to the US. Then, as Reynoso said, she died on Tuesday.

Carmen Quintana, Irma’s sister, said that she couldn’t recognize her sister after she arrived in Tijuana. According to her, Irma’s face was totally changed.

“It was very hard especially because you didn’t recognize her because her face was very swollen and the only way to tell it was her was by her feet,” Quintana explained.

Irma couldn’t afford the costs, her family said

Irma was a woman who liked to “look nice,” as her nice commented. No matter which was the occasion, she used it to have a moment for herself. In fact, Irma used to take “full-time care of her 99-year-old,” and still she “made time in her day” for her.

Nora said that “it’s sad” to know that Irma is dead. She thinks that getting the liposuction was the only time “she did something for herself,” but that she paid “a high price.”

Liposuction procedure, Liposuction before and after, Liposuction risks, Surgery in Mexico
Irma is not the first person who dies after looking for help in a Mexican hospital. Image credit: GoFundMe

Irma’s niece also said that Irma probably went to Mexico due to the high costs of a standard liposuction procedure in the US. According to her, she couldn’t afford such an expensive surgery.

Additionally, the family is now warning Americans to avoid going to Mexico to undergo some of these procedures.

“It’s not worth it. It wasn’t worth it for my sister,” Carmen said.

Irma is just one of other hundreds of similar Americans who prefer to undergo surgery in Mexico than in their country due to how inexpensive these are.

Source: CBS Los Angeles