Brazilian child actress Millena Brandão died on May 2 after suffering 13 heart attacks, according to multiple reports. She was 11 years old.
Brandão, who appeared in the Netflix series “Sintonia” and other Brazilian productions, was rushed to Granjaú General Hospital in São Paulo, Brazil, on April 30, after experiencing severe headaches, pain in her leg, drowsiness, loss of appetite, and frequent fainting spells.
According to her mother, Thays Brandão, the young actress suffered multiple cardiac arrests between the day she arrived at the hospital and May 1. Doctors initially thought Millena was suffering from dengue fever, but that diagnosis was later ruled out.
Thays told Brazilian news outlet G1 that she still doesn’t know what led to her daughter’s death. She explained that doctors haven’t provided a definitive explanation for what killed her daughter, leaving the family with many unanswered questions about the sudden tragedy.
The health crisis began on April 24 when Millena first complained of severe headaches and leg pain. Her mother took her to see a doctor, but Thays said they were sent home with simple pain medication after being told it might be dengue fever, though no tests were conducted to confirm this diagnosis.
“She had a headache, but she could walk and talk. The doctor said it was dengue fever, but he didn’t do any tests. He told us to take her back home and give her dipyrone,” Thays told G1.
Millena’s condition deteriorated rapidly. By April 26, she could no longer walk due to the pain. The family returned to the hospital but was again sent home. Two days later, on April 28, Millena fainted in her bathroom, prompting another emergency visit to the hospital.
After being admitted to the hospital, Millena suffered her first cardiac arrest the following morning. According to her mother, this was when everything changed dramatically. Thays described how her daughter’s lips turned purple before medical staff resuscitated her and placed her on a ventilator.
A CT scan revealed a 5-centimeter mass in Millena’s brain, but Thays said there was no neurologist available to determine whether it was a tumor, cyst, edema, or blood clot. As days passed, Millena’s condition worsened significantly.
Thays shared that her daughter experienced two to three cardiac arrests daily, for a total of 13 arrests during her hospital stay. She added that Millena had never experienced cardiac issues before. On one particularly difficult day, the young girl suffered seven respiratory arrests, with doctors using both manual resuscitation techniques and defibrillator shocks in their attempts to save her.
After doctors declared Millena brain dead, her parents made the difficult decision to remove her from life support. Thays explained that she and her husband felt continuing would only prolong their daughter’s suffering.
The Brazilian municipal and state health departments are reportedly investigating whether there were any irregularities in Millena’s medical care.
On May 3, Thays shared an emotional tribute to her daughter on Instagram, posting an image of Millena with angel wings and a gold halo. She expressed how much she misses her daughter and how the memories they shared together will remain with her forever.
Millena made her acting debut in October 2023 on the Brazilian Television System (SBT) and had appeared in “A infância de Romeu e Julieta” (The Childhood of Romeo and Juliet) and “A Caverna Encantada,” in addition to her role in the Netflix production “Sintonia.”
By the time of her passing, the young actress had garnered nearly 200,000 followers on Instagram, highlighting her rising popularity in Brazil’s entertainment industry.
The exact cause of Millena’s death has not yet been determined, with medical professionals unable to conclusively identify what triggered the series of cardiac arrests that led to her passing.
