A family in mourning. Another young life lost and so many questions unanswered.
A 29-year old woman from the Gold Coast has died after undergoing cosmetic surgery in Mexico.
Evita Nicole Sarmonikas had travelled to the Mexican city of Mexicali with her boyfriend to undergo what her sister says was a minor procedure.
Her family are now undergoing a heartbreaking attempt to find out what took place in the Mexican hospital.
Eva, as she was known, died on March 20th from a cardiac arrest – the same day she was admitted for the surgery.
Her sister Andrea wrote on a Facebook page set up in her honour, “Evita was a beautiful, young, healthy woman and the surgery was a simple procedure with minimal risks. Australian medical advice has been that even in the case of cardiac arrest a healthy young body can often be brought back to life when surrounded by a fully equipped hospital and a competent medical team. “
Eva a former Gold Coast Hope student worked in the fashion industry. Her family say she did not have any travel insurance, nor any coverage for her medical procedure.
She signed a waiver at the Mexican cosmetic hospital meaning that the hospital is not liable for her death and can send her body back to Australia in the form of ashes.
While the death of the much-loved young woman remains a mystery, her family liaise with the Department of Foreign Affairs over implementing an independent body to undertake an autopsy.
But finding the answers they need won’t prove to be easy financially as they face costs of up to $20,000 for the autopsy, legal representation, investigation and to bring Eva’s body home.
Her sister, Andrea wrote on her Facebook page “Healthy young women do not return home in a casket after such a procedure.”
She says, “The autopsy showed Eva went into cardiac arrest following surgery. The hospitals only response was to cling to their waiver, removing themselves from any liability. There have been no answers and their only offer of “cooperation” was an urgency to return her to us in the form of ashes. The Australian Embassy has strongly advised we do not allow this to happen.”
She writes “Evita as we knew her on earth would be devastated at the amount of attention she is receiving at the moment, as she was extremely private and worked very hard to never be a burden on anybody,’
“However the abundance of love that we all hold for her is propelling the action that needs to be taken before she be laid to rest, and she deserves that.”
Just reading the descriptions of Evita Sarmonikas on the Facebook page dedicated to her gives you an impression of what she was like.
Gracious, amazing, beautiful, warm heart.
She is a beautiful soul!!! Eva is the type of person to make the world a little more beautiful.
Eva is deserving of dignity and respect.
Her death is another awful reminder of the dangers of seeking out cosmetic procedures overseas.
Through her despair her sister has taken the time to reach out and plead with other young women not to be fooled into thinking this was the answer.
She says, “No woman should risk death to improve on perfection.”
Andrea Sarmonikas’s words in full:
“As beautiful as Evita was inside and out. She was still filled with certain inadequacies. As almost every woman on earth does.
Her perfect and whole soul was not strong enough in light of a world that constantly bombarded her with an urgency to demand more from her self and her body. She never demanded anything from anybody, but was always out giving her people. These near perfect graphic comparisons our young women are bombarded with from get go are to much for innocent hearts to battle, and the consequences are fatal when not conducted by adequate professionals.
These doctors promised her more perfection to fill an emptiness that began developing early in our childhood. This emptiness further expanded with traumatic experiences in her adult life and the constant social boarding of a false beauty illusion.
I will write more about this as I build up the courage and awareness to honor her story with the integrity it deserves. Right now I need to focus on what is hand and that is bringing her home.
This was not the way to go home, no woman should risk death to improve on perfection.
Tomorrow morning when you look in the mirror say to your self “I am enough, I am worthy, I am perfect just the way I am”. Don’t listen to a world that is hungry to fill your insecurities with poison. Stop feeding an industry that hates humans, especially women in the natural state and their perfect birth bodies. Do it for Eva, do it for you.”
To donate to the costs and assist this family visit this page here.
Top Comments
There are plenty of pics labelled "cosmetic surgery gone wrong" on the internet to serve as a cautionaty tale
OMG... "the dangers of seeking out cosmetic procedures overseas"
Anyone undergoing ANY cosmetical procedure can end up like this. Its not only about the doctor, or wheather it was a good place or not. Hate to see the whole "overseas" prejudice popping up in this article. It could have happened in her hometown too, like the doctors in Autralia do not make you sign waivers where the doctor or hospital isn't responsible if things go wrong. Hello! They do, everytime.
I cannot believe you're pretending 'prejudice' is an issue here!!
It is a FACT that Australian hospitals are 'better' than certain other hospitals in other countries. Not every country, but certainly compared to the general standard of hospitals in Mexico or Thailand, where many of these OS cosmetic procedures take place.
We're a developed country, our medical staff are well trained, we have strict safety procedures, and better staffing than hospitals in less developed countries. Not because other countries are stupid or lazy, but because we're more developed and better funded, with different standards. That's not being biased, that's stating a basic fact.
One does not need to be a rocket surgeon to realise the risks associated with these procedures is MUCH greater in third world countries. It can happen in first world countries too but a lot LESS often. Also there is a much better chance of recourse if something does go wrong.