Brazilian child model and actress Millena Brandao has died at the age of 11 after suffering multiple heart attacks, according to multiple reports. Brandao fell seriously ill last Wednesday after with severe headaches and was rushed to Granjaú General Hospital in São Paulo, Brazil, where she died on Friday.
Brandao — who appeared in the Netflix series ""Sintonia"—suffered 13 cardiac arrests between Wednesday and Thursday, her doctor said. Doctors tried their best but couldn't save her. Her mother, Thays Brandão, shared that doctors initially suspected she was suffering from dengue, but further testing later uncovered a brain tumor. However, her official cause of death was still unknown as of Monday.
Sudden and Shocking Death
"The doctors still haven't said what really happened to my daughter and what killed her," Brandao's mother told Brazilian news outlet G1. Since April 24, Millena Brandão had been suffering from headaches, leg pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, and even fainting spells.
She sought medical help at that time and was taken to a local urgent care center and two public hospitals in São Paulo.
At first, doctors suspected she was dealing with dengue fever, but further examinations eventually revealed that she had a brain tumor.
Millena Brandão began her acting career in October 2023 on SBT [Brazilian Television System], with roles in "A Infância de Romeu e Julieta" [Romeo and Juliet's Childhood] and "A Caverna Encantada" [The Enchanted Cave].
Her mother, Thays Brandão — who also has a two-year-old daughter — expressed concerns about the medical attention her older daughter received.
A doctor at the government-run Pedreira General Hospital examined Millena on April 24, diagnosed her with a headache, and informed the heartbroken mother that her daughter was likely suffering from dengue.
"But he didn't do any tests. He told us to take her back home and give her dipyrone," Thays said.
Family Devastated
On April 26, Millena Brandão had to cut short a modeling event because of leg pain and was taken to Pedreira General Hospital, her mother said. However, the tests showed no problems, and doctors advised her to rest at home.
The family had planned to attend mass at a nearby church on April 28, but went back home when Millena complained of a headache, fatigue, and loss of appetite. On April 29, after having dinner, Millena fainted in the bathroom.
Her parents rushed her to the Maria Antonieta Urgent Care Facility, where tests ruled out Covid-19, H1N1, and dengue fever. However, she was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection and prescribed medicines. "She arrived with her unconscious in my husband's arms. Then, she opened her eyes and regained consciousness," Thays Brandão recalled.
Medical staff recommended that Millena Brandão be shifted to a government-run hospital in São Paulo, the state capital. Thays Brandão later said that one of the nurses scolded Millena as she cried and begged for help. "She told her not to scream, that the pain wouldn't go away like that," the mother said.
Millena Brandão was admitted to Granjaú General Hospital on the morning of April 29, where she was intubated after suffering her first cardiac arrest.
"Her lip turned purple. Then they resuscitated her and intubated her. From that day on, she never woke up again," Thays Brandão said. She felt the hospital lacked the proper specialists to treat her daughter and that there was no neurologist available.
Thays Brandão also questioned why the team at Maria Antonieta Urgent Care Facility didn't refer her daughter to Hospital das Clínicas, where specialists would have been available to provide more advanced care.
