taken from an MSN article - the article is short, but pretty much if you just read the parts in bold, you'll more than get the gist.
WOBURN, Mass. - A Brazilian doctor accused of being part of an underground cosmetic surgery network was sentenced to up to three years in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty in the death of a 24-year-old woman.
Luiz Carlos Ribeiro pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of Fabiola DePaula in the basement of a Framingham condominium in July 2006. DePaula died of complications from liposuction surgery.
Ribeiro, 51, of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, was not licensed to practice medicine in the United States. Prosecutors said he performed the surgery on a massage table under unsanitary conditions and did not have a qualified professional present to monitor DePaula's vital signs, as required.
"By not having that trained person, it substantially increased the risk of serious bodily harm or death," said prosecutor Lee Hettinger.Prosecutors said Ribeiro performed liposuction, nose jobs and Botox injections for several years, mostly in Framingham's large Brazilian immigrant community, where cosmetic surgery is popular among beauty-conscious women.
DePaula, an immigrant from Sanclerlandia, Brazil, went to Ribeiro for a rhinoplasty on July 27, 2006. She went back three days later for liposuction. An autopsy report said she died of complications, including pulmonary fat emboli, or fat in the lungs.
The owner of the home where the surgery was done, Ana Celia Pena Sielemann, was charged with being an accessory, but was deported before prosecutors could bring her to trial. Hettinger said Sielemann recruited women to have procedures done.
Ribeiro's lawyer, Jeanne Earley, said the doctor has been devastated by DePaula's death.
***ok, let's get out of the way the things that should go without saying, but i don't want to seem insensitive. so firstly:
1) this is very sad and tragic - that a woman's life has ended, in what i assume was a very painful death.
2) i actually sympathize with the doctor also because, although he has serious problems with judgment and morals, his life is effectively ruined now.
now, on to the burning questions:
WHO in their right mind would let a doctor perform lipo, nose jobs, and ANY other surgical procedure (cosmetic, to boot), in A BASEMENT OF A CONDO!?!?!
this is, of course, not to say that this woman deserved death or anything of the sort. but come on! why would she allow some 'doctor' to operate on her in.....a.....basement....?? how do you ignore all the signs that this is NOT a good idea, and still hop on a massage table (WHAT!) and let some guy do all kinds of things to your body? perhaps she couldn't afford legit medical care in a hospital, and this guy was offering some bargain basement deal, literally on the basement part.
but seriously, was it worth it? now, i could be totally understanding if it were a life-threatening illness that needed medical attention or surgery. in a lot of impoverished areas of the world, underground doctors who perform much needed medical procedures are sought after because the people can't afford the high costs of hospitals. and when your child needs surgery, and you can't afford the "real" docs, sometimes desperation may make you do things that are not so wise. i'm not saying this is safe and good, but i understand.
i also understand the importance placed on physical beauty in this world - especially for women. and i can only pray that as i age and things start to wrinkle, sag or expand that i won't panic and lose all my senses, trying to fight the process. i mean, hey, i'm a woman - i love buying hair and beauty products, and trust, i do all i can to try to keep it tight for as long as i naturally and possibly can. but i just hope that when nature starts to do what it does, and i no longer have the face and body of a 26 yr old, that i won't go loca and start running to basements for a little nip/tuck. striving for beauty to the point where one is willing to risk life and limb for it is...insane.
