Brazilian child actor Millena Brandão has died at the age of 11 after reportedly suffering multiple heart attacks.
Brandão, who appeared in Netflix’s Portuguese-language drama, Sintonia, died on May 2, her family announced in an Instagram post shared Sunday.
“On May 2nd we lost our little girl, but I’m sure she’s in the arms of our almighty father and in a beautiful place to play,” the post read.
“The memories we spent together will stay in my memory and I’ll never forget your joy that infected everyone around you,” it added. “My girl, I’m already missing you more and more not having you here and I know I’ll miss you even more in the days to come! You were the light in our lives and I know that from up there you’ll continue to watch over us and light up our lives. And I’ll love you forever, and you’ll always be in my heart.”
The post included an edited image of Brandão as an angel.
Brandão died at Granjaú General Hospital in São Paulo, one of three hospitals she had been taken to after she started experiencing severe headaches, lack of appetite, and drowsiness in late April, according to local Brazilian news outlet G1.
Doctors had initially thought Brandão had contracted dengue fever, her mother, Thays Brandão, told the outlet. However, after some tests, they soon ruled that out, and later found Brandão had a urinary tract infection. She was then sent home with antibiotics and pain relievers.
The morning of April 29, Brandão suffered her first cardiac arrest. “Her lip turned purple. Then they resuscitated her and intubated her. From that day on, she never woke up again,” her mother remembered. It was then that Brandão was transferred from UPA Maria Antonieta to Granjaú General Hospital.
“There was no neurologist there. They only did a CT scan, and the doctors said they saw a 5-centimeter mass in her brain,” Thays said. “But they don’t know if this mass was a tumor, a cyst, an edema, a clot... because they couldn’t open her head to see. And now that she died, they’re going to do a biopsy to find out what was in her brain.
“The doctors still haven’t said what really happened to my daughter and what killed her,” she added. “It’s a question mark.”
Recalling the days spent in the hospital, Thays, who also has a two-year-old daughter, said: “She got worse, with two to three cardiac arrests per day. She had 13 arrests in total. She had never had that before. There was one day when she had seven respiratory arrests. Sometimes they gave her massages and other times they gave her shocks [with a device called a defibrillator].”
All three hospitals have since released separate statements, per G1, regarding Brandão’s passing, with the first two locations — The General Hospital of Pedreira and UPA Maria Antonieta — expressing their “regrets” over her death, saying that an investigation will be launched into Brandão’s treatment.
Meanwhile, Grajaú General Hospital, where Brandão was officially confirmed brain dead, said in a statement: “Since her arrival, the patient received intensive care and the full commitment of the medical and assistance team, who spared no effort to preserve her life.
“The diagnosis was confirmed after strict compliance with the protocol established for these cases,” it added. “The family was present at each stage of the care, being kept informed with respect, acceptance and all the support necessary in this moment of deep pain. We stand in solidarity with the family and reaffirm our commitment to providing dignified and humane care.”
Brandão acted in a couple of Brazilian soap operas, A infância de Romeu e Julieta and A Caverna Encantada, before later appearing in Netflix’s Sintonia.
Aside from acting, Brandão was also a child model.
