Brazilian child actress and model Millena Brandão has died at age 11, following a series of cardiac arrests. The young star passed away on May 2 at Grajaú General Hospital in São Paulo.
According to her mother, Thays Brandão, Millena initially showed symptoms such as headaches, leg pain, drowsiness, and loss of appetite beginning April 24. On April 29, she fainted after dinner and was rushed to urgent care, where doctors initially suspected dengue fever. Further tests revealed a brain tumor.
Though initially conscious after the fainting spell, Millena soon deteriorated and suffered between 13 to 21 cardiac arrests over the span of two days. “Her lip turned purple. Then they resuscitated her and intubated her. From that day on, she never woke up again,” her mother told Brazilian outlet G1.
Millena was known for roles in the soap opera The Childhood of Romeo and Juliet and the Netflix series Sintonia. Her family shared news of her passing with her 196,000 Instagram followers, with her mother writing, “You were the light in our lives… I’ll love you forever.”
The exact cause of death remains unclear. “The doctors still haven’t said what really happened,” her mother said.
