Woman can no longer walk, talk or feed herself after Brazilian butt lift cosmetic surgery went horribly wrong
Daidys Pena Garces, 50, underwent the procedure, also known as a BBL, at A&E Med Spa in Miami on May 15, 2023.
The operation was performed by Dr. Fermin Morales, who only weeks later caused another BBL patient's death following the procedure, state health officials said.
The operation involves taking fat from the hips, abdomen and other areas via liposuction, before injecting it into the buttocks.
Recipients hope for a bigger, more pert behind, but experts have long warned of the dangers of BBLs, which can prove fatal.
Less than a month after her procedure, Garces suffered a pulmonary embolism that caused severe brain damage and left her unable to walk, talk or feed herself, according to her husband, Jorge Fernandez.
'She was my first, like my first love,' he told WSVN. '[Now] she never more will talk or walk or eat by herself.'
Fernandez filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against A&E Med Spa and Morales, who is certified as a general surgeon, not a plastic surgeon, in June.
The lawsuit claims Garces was not made aware of the risks associated with the elective surgery or of Morales' qualifications because the med spa withheld information from her.
'This pulmonary embolism occurred because of this surgery,' Fernandez's attorney, Lavenia Santos, told WSVN.
According to the lawsuit, Garces was never made aware that Morales was not a plastic surgeon.
'From representations made by the agents at A&E Med Spa, any reasonable person would be led to believe that Fermin Esteban Morales, M.D., was Board Certified in Plastic Surgery when, in fact, he was not,' the court document said.
'Garces would not have undergone the high-risk plastic surgery procedure had she known that [Morales] was not a trained and board-certified plastic surgeon.'
In Florida, there is no legal requirement that a doctor be a board-certified plastic surgeon to preform a BBL.
'The woman has no idea that she is not being cared for by a board-certified plastic surgeon. That's just wrong,' Santos said.
'If the public knew that, they probably not be so willing to go, regardless of price. What happened to her shouldn't happen to anyone.'
A GoFundMe page set up for Garces and Fernandez said that she 'had no idea the surgeon was unqualified.'
'Daidys required emergency medical care and was hospitalized for seven months due to the pulmonary embolism,' it read.
'Now, Daidys is unable to perform any activities of daily living without assistance. Along with facing an extended recovery process, she is now burdened with growing medical bills and ongoing treatments.'
Additionally, the lawsuit argues that Garces was not properly made aware of the medical risks of the operation because all of the informed consent documents she signed were in English, not her primary language of Spanish.
In their response filing, A&E Med Spa denied all of the allegations. Their attorneys told the local news station that Morales no longer works there.
The Daily Mail contacted A&E Med Spa, their attorneys, Morales and his current employer, New Life Plastic Surgery, for comment.
In February, Morales was accused by the Florida Department of Health of causing a BBL patient's death in 2023, the same year as Garces' operation, the Miami Herald reported.
On June 7, 2023, Morales allegedly injected fat into the wrong area during a 40-year-old woman's BBL procedure at Doral's Venus Cosmetic Institute/DASO Plastic Surgery, located in a strip mall.
The woman died the next day and her autopsy found 'copious globules of lacerated fat throughout her left and right superficial and deep gluteal muscles' and 'fat globules in blood' in her left lung vessels.
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Current Science Supports a Reasonable Basis of Safety and Recommends Continued Study, Not Scheduling Full copies of each expert report have been provided to the FDA. 'The FDA pledged to follow the science. The aforementioned experts, some of the top scientists in the world, maintain the science supports a reasonable basis of safety in our 7-OH products,' said Sanders. Commitment to Transparency and Consumer Safety Shaman Botanicals remains deeply committed to transparency, scientific rigor, and consumer welfare. The company welcomes continued dialogue. About Holistic Alternative Recovery Trust (HART) Holistic Alternative Recovery Trust (HART) is a national nonprofit organization advocating for science-based policy, regulatory transparency, and access to safe, plant-based alternatives to opioids and other pharmaceuticals. 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), a metabolite of mitragynine, the most abundant alkaloid found in kratom, is a new tool being used to combat opioid misuse and improve public health. HART strongly supports robust regulation to mandate that all 7-OH products are manufactured safely, are marketed transparently, and are kept out of the hands of children. Learn more at opens new tab. Media Contact HART Mediamedia@ ### SOURCE: Holistic Alternative Recovery Trust (HART) Copyright 2025 EZ Newswire See release on EZ Newswire
