Linda Perez walked into the Coral Gables Cosmetic Center Monday prepared to undergo a routine breast augmentation, a surgery performed over 400,000 times a year in the US -- and within hours she was unconscious in Mercy Hospital's intensive care unit, with likely brain damage.
CBS Miami is reporting Linda Perez's surgery was performed by Dr. Jacob Freiman, while the anesthesiologist was Dr. Mario Alberto Diaz. While Freiman seems to have a crystal clear record, Diaz was once sentenced to prison for "illegally dispens(ing) some 70,000 doses of controlled substances for no legitimate medical purpose," CBS 4 reports.
Kubs Lalchandani, an attorney for Coral Gables Cosmetic Center, issued a statement saying the facility "is committed to upholding the highest standards of medical care and patient safety." "For privacy reasons," the statement said, the center "cannot comment on any medical issues related to... patients."
The family spoke to CBS 4, and seemed understandably heartbroken. "We are hurting for our daughter," Fernando Izquierdo told CBS 4's Gary Nelson. "We're going through a terrible time. It's very sad."
Perez's father has had little success gathering information on what exactly caused his daughters major medical emergency, saying, "The clinic where she had the surgery, they won't give us any information."
The family of Linda Perez holds out hope for their daughter, despite the fact that, according to El Nuevo Herald, she was essentially deceased with no heartbeat when she was rushed out of the clinic.
"Hopefully, God will save her," her mother, Mariela Diaz said. "We are grateful for all the prayers. My daughter is a very beautiful, very loving girl."
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