Dallas real estate agent and engaged to be married Laura Avila, 36, (pictured) is on life support after she jet-setted to Mexico for a cut-rate nose job
A Dallas real estate agent is currently on life support with severe brain damage after she jet-setted off to Mexico for a cut-rate nose job that went horribly awry.
Laura Avila, 36, booked an appointment for the rhinoplasty procedure, estimated to be less than a third of the average US cost, October 30 at the Rino Center in Juarez, Mexico.
The average price of a rhinoplasty in the US is $7,500, according to RealSelf.
Avila’s supportive fiancé, Enrique Cruz, traveled along with her for the operation and was by her side before it began.
The anticipated appointment, however, was a nightmare from the start when Avila was administered anesthesia via her spine.
The anesthesia traveled to her brain, instead of downward throughout her body.
Within moments, she went into cardiac arrest and hospital officials were forced to place her into a medically induced coma to prevent further brain damage. Her fiancé was not informed about the severity of the situation at the time.
Avila, who is brain damaged, is pictured above in her hospital bed. She has been refused care by three Dallas hospitals because she is not insured
Avila’s supportive fiancé, Enrique Cruz, traveled with her for the operation October 30 at the Rino Center in Juarez. The happy couple are pictured in a loved-up Facebook photo
The appointment started off a nightmare when Avila was administered anesthesia via her spine. The anesthesia traveled to her brain instead of down her body
Her fiancé was initially not informed about the severity of the situation
A distraught Cruz told WFAA: ‘I was really concerned… I got upset because they wouldn’t let me see her.’
He said doctors initially told him her blood pressure dropped, and that they could not move forward with the surgery.
The patient’s sister, Angie Avila, told the station her sister was lured into the procedure because ‘the price, compared to those in the US, was less than a third.’
The real estate agent, who is also a singer and dancer, was under care at the Mexico clinic for four days before she was finally transported to a university hospital in El Paso, Texas.
Avila has been refused care by three Dallas hospitals because she is not insured.
Her family said officials at the Rino Center gave them a hard time about leaving because they did not pay the bill.
The Rino Center in Juarez, Mexico is pictured above in a Google Maps image
A post promoting the rhinoplasty procedure is seen on the clinic’s Facebook page
Avila’s sister told WFAA: ‘The hospital in Mexico basically held us hostage because we wouldn’t pay the full amount.’
When Avila and her worried loved ones finally arrived at the Texas hospital, doctors confirmed she was brain dead.
Angie Avila told the station the damage is so horrific that ‘she will never be our Laura again.’
Cruz, who has been in a relationship with Avila for 10 years, told ABC 7: ‘We got married by God… no matter what happens, I want her to know [she] has a special place in my heart.’
He also captioned a Facebook profile photo of the two in happier times: ‘I love you so much, I’m so lost without you..’
Avila’s sister and fiancé could not be reached by DailyMail.com late Tuesday for comment.
A distraught Cruz (pictured left with Avila) recalled from the nightmare day: ‘I was really concerned… I got upset because they wouldn’t let me see her’
When Avila and her loved ones finally arrived at the Texas hospital, doctors confirmed she was brain dead
Avila has been refused care by three Dallas hospitals because she is not insured
The crowdfunding page states: ‘Any assistance you provide will go to her medical bills, which have quickly accrued in the last six days. Approximately $25,000 was incurred in Juarez plus transferring costs which are yet to be determined.
‘In El Paso, the costs began accumulating from the minute EMS picked her up at the border. She does not have medical insurance, so everything will come out of pocket.
‘Any remaining funds will go to our parents who have missed work to be with Laura; her fiancé Cruz who is also missing days at work and buying plane tickets to fly back and forth between El Paso and Dallas, TX, where he resides; and myself, a current law student at SMU, for flight expenses from traveling between Dallas and El Paso to go to school and also be with Laura and ensure her legal case proceeds in Mexico.’
Her family must now decide whether to move forward with two high-risk surgeries or strip her from life support.
They hired an attorney, Larry Friedman, who plans to sue the Rino Center and those responsible for the tragedy.
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