A mum who travelled to Mexico for breast implants has died after contracting fungal meningitis.
According to the New York Post, Crystal Villegas spent the last four months of her life in a Texas hospital fighting off the infection, local news outlet ValleyCentral reported. She was 31.
Fungal meningitis is a rare and life-threatening infection that causes areas around the brain and spinal cord to swell, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. This can occur during medical procedures if infection control practices are not thoroughly followed.
The Texas mother of three travelled to Matamoros, in Tamaulipas State, Mexico, on the other side of the border from her hometown of Brownsville, to save money on the cosmetic surgery.
The social media influencer mum – or “mumfluencer” – had her surgery at the River Side Clinic in Matamoros and began to experience extremely painful headaches just three weeks later, she told ValleyCentral in July.
The local outlet reported that during their Zoom call with Villegas, she was seen with a tube in her head for draining fluids and relieving pressure and her speech was slurred and strained – but she still wanted to make people aware of the dangers that put her in this position.
“Enjoy life, don’t worry about how you look or anything like that. This whole thing about changing the way we look, it’s not worth it,” Villegas said.
Villegas died Sunday afternoon, her husband Juan Tapia announced in a Facebook post.
“She fought hard for 4 months and refused to give in, and even though she lost the battle against this deadly disease she gained something so much greater. My Crystal gained her angel wings,” he wrote.
“Through all of this I realised how grand and special you truly were babe, I know you touched so many hearts and lives and this is evident with the amount of love and support you received from the community.”
Villegas’ husband, Juan Tapia, announced her death in a moving tribute on Facebook. Picture: Jam Press
According to the CDC, Villegas is now the ninth American who has died from fungal meningitis after undergoing procedures under epidural anaesthesia in Matamoros. Officials identified River Side Surgical Centre and Clinica K-3 as the clinics associated with the outbreak, both of which were closed on May 13.
“Anyone who had procedures under epidural anaesthesia in these clinics from January 1 to May 13, 2023, is at risk of fungal meningitis,” the CDC said.
The public health agency notified Mexican officials of the outbreak linked back to cosmetic surgery clinics on May 11, and 10 clinics aside from the two that already shut down are being investigated.
‘Through all of this I realised how grand and special you truly were babe.’ Picture: Jam Press
Tapia and Villegas outside the hospital before she died. Picture: Jam Press
People leaving the US for places such as Mexico, Canada, India and Thailand to get prescription drugs, dental procedures, surgeries and other medical treatment – also known as medical tourism – is common, experts say.
About 1.2 million Americans travel to Mexico annually to get discounted elective surgery, according to Medical Tourism Mexico, which advertises that patients can save up to 80 per cent on a comparable procedure in the US.
Villegas is survived by her husband and her three children, ages eight months, three years and seven years.
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