Shacare Terry, a young mother and business owner from Indianapolis, died after getting two cosmetic procedures —a Brazilian butt lift (BBL) and tummy tuck. She left behind loving family and friends, as well as a daycare she built from the ground up called Minnie Blessings In Paradise.

On April 11, Terry and her friend Carlesha Williams flew to the Dominican Republic for the same surgeries. Williams experienced the expected pain afterward, but Terry fared worse. She couldn’t move or breathe on her own and died a week after the procedures were finished.

Terry’s twin sister, Sharae, was among the first to notice that something was amiss. She reached that conclusion after a post-surgery Facetime session with Terry. According to Black Enterprise, Sharae said, “something wasn’t right. I knew it in my heart.”

Williams echoed similar observations. “I was moving around a lot more, and Shacare wasn’t really moving around. She wasn’t doing anything. She would lay in bed. I would try to get her to go downstairs and eat with me, and she just wasn’t responding well.”

The surgeries were done by Dr. Jose Desena and his team at Instituto Medico San Lucas in Santo Domingo. According to Williams, Dr. Desena sedated Terry in response to her excruciating pain and complications. The medical staff assured Williams that her friend was simply resting and that all would be well.

But Williams wasn’t convinced and her fears weren’t for naught. Terry had to undergo dialysis, prompting Williams to reach out to Terry’s family with the news of her rapid deterioration. On April 21, Terry’s death was confirmed in the following statement given to WRTV.

“We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in the Dominican Republic. We are providing all appropriate assistance to the family. Out of respect to the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment.”

The sadly ill-fated trip to the Dominican Republic wasn’t Terry’s first experience with cosmetic surgery. In February, she went to Mexico for a gastric sleeve.

Cosmetic procedures like butt lifts and breast augmentation cost a fortune in the US, which is why some people opt to get them done overseas. According to the CDC, “each year, millions of US residents participate in medical tourism. Medical tourists from the United States commonly travel to Mexico and Canada, as well as countries in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.”

The CDC added that in other countries, requirements for surgery might differ, and “counterfeit medicines and lower quality medical devices may be used.” Moreover, changes in cabin pressure when flying back home “can increase the risk for blood clots.”

Ask questions before undergoing any cosmetic procedure, no matter what kind or where you are getting it done. Is the procedure worth the risks and what specifically are they? Is your health such that you are cleared to get surgery? How experienced is the surgeon and what has the feedback been from past patients? Doing thorough research could be the difference between life and death.

loc:city:santo domingo