A New York City corrections Captain has died following a botched Brazilian butt lift (BBL) procedure in the Dominican Republic.
49-year-old Tandra Bowser-Williams, who worked at Rikers Island, reportedly suffered a massive stroke just days after her procedure in Santo Domingo from a fake doctor.
Dr. Hector Cabral performed the fat transfer surgery on May 13, but he’s not credentialed. He was indicted in New York in March 2011 for operating without a medical license.
RELATED: Indianapolis Mother Dies After Traveling To Dominican Republic For BBL Surgery
The NY Post reports Cebral was charged after conducting medical consultations and examinations at beauty parlors in New York City. He would then lure patients to the Dominican Republic or discounted services, often leaving people with permanent damage.
Cabral didn’t do any jail time. He was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine, more than $23,000 in restitution, and complete 250 hours of community service in the DR after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors.
But the consequences were clearly not severe enough. He opened Centro Internacional de Cirugia Plastica Avanzada shortly after returning to Santo Domingo. This is where Bowser-Williams got her surgery.
“Her exact words to me were, ‘you’re gonna love Dr. Cabral’s work.’ I didn’t care one way or another. I accepted my wife the way she was,” Bowser-Williams’ husband, Curtis Williams, tells N.Y. Daily News. “Everybody is distraught. She was the heart, the lifeline of the family. The heartbeat.”
Medical Officials Sounds Alarm Plastic Surgery Abroad
A recent report from Patients Beyond Borders shows medical tourism grows between 15 and 25% each year.
Nearly 2 million Americans considered traveling abroad for medical procedures, including elective plastic surgery, in 2019. One of the biggest reasons is the costs. According to Patients Beyond Borders, Americans can save more than 50% on procedures in another country.
But even with the savings, there are other factors to consider before traveling abroad for surgery.
“Many countries don’t have the rigorous pre-testing requirements we have here in the United States before a major surgery,” Karyngton E., a nurse practitioner, tells Travel Noire. “When we take blood, for example, we’re checking for things such as diabetes, anemia, and seeing how certain organs are functioning.”
Karyngton says when it comes to cosmetic surgery, some pre-existing conditions or results from blood tests could mean that some people are ineligible for specific procedures in the U.S., so they head overseas where testing is not done or required.
He cautions people to do their homework when getting specific procedures done abroad.
“Don’t just go for a lower price because that could cost you your life,” he says. “Check to ensure the doctor has the proper credentials, and keep in mind that your post-care is just as important as your procedure.”
