A delicate case of medical malpractice exposes the dangers of undergoing body modification treatments due to social pressure.
Eighteen years ago, the Venezuelan-born patient, Mayra Alejandra del Villar, agreed to a free surgery in Maracaibo after spending her youth enduring constant mockery about her weight and physical appearance.
The procedure led to severe infections that displaced her organs, forcing doctors to remove several of them, including her spleen, three meters of intestine, and eventually her stomach entirely. After spending 1 year bedridden and 6 months in a wheelchair, the victim emigrated to the United States, where she is now an influencer.
Mayra Alejandra del Villar’s life completely changed after a devastating case of medical malpractice that nearly cost her her life.
Driven by deep insecurities from years of severe bullying about her weight, she accepted a free bariatric surgery in 2007 at the University Hospital of Maracaibo, Venezuela. The operation went catastrophically wrong.
The Medical Disaster
The surgery caused severe internal damage and massive infections, completely tearing apart her stomach, intestines, and diaphragm. Due to the runaway infections, her internal organs displaced. To save her life, doctors had to perform emergency procedures to remove:
- Her entire stomach
- Three meters of her intestines
- Her spleen
The ordeal was compounded when she contracted Hepatitis C from a contaminated blood transfusion. She spent a year bedridden and six months in a wheelchair trying to recover.
TODAY
Today, Mayra lives in the United States and has completely transformed her pain into a message of body positivity:
- Living Without a Stomach: She survives as a medical miracle. Because she has no stomach, her digestion is permanently altered, and she battles several chronic health issues, including severe anemia, Hashimoto’s disease, and panic attacks.
- Successful Influencer: She has built a massive following on social media, where she goes by the handle “The Curvy Buena” (Amor Propio).
- Self-Love Advocate: Mayra uses her Instagram profile to show off her fashion, share her scars, and advocate against the toxic social pressures that judge people by their clothing size. She openly shares her story to warn others about the dangers of undergoing body modification surgeries purely out of social pressure and low self-esteem
