HARLINGEN, Texas — For three months, 31-year-old Crystal Villegas, from Brownsville, has been fighting for her life. She’s been recovering in the ICU at Valley Baptist Hospital in Harlingen from a potentially deadly fungal meningitis infection.
Villegas thought it would be a good idea to save money by getting an implant replacement at a private clinic in Matamoros, Mexico. She didn’t know the danger. The infection almost killed her. Fortunately, it was diagnosed and treated on time. But for John Tapia, her husband, it’s been sleepless nights of fear and uncertainty.
“There’s always positive energy coming from her and to see her in this state, seeing her like this, it’s heartbreaking,” Tapia said.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the infection causes swelling around the brain and spinal cord. This can take a toll on even the most basic functions. Villegas, after coming out of one of many procedures, described it.
“Learning how to walk again, learning how to use the restroom again, how to talk again. It changes everything, everything. It’s not worth it!” she said from her hospital bed.
“I wish all this was just a nightmare that we can just wake up from and go back to the day before the surgery and somehow, some way convince her not to go,” Tapia said.
Every year more than 1 million Americans travel to Mexico for cheap cosmetic procedures in private clinics where safety protocols are often deficient. In May, the CDC and the U.S. consulate in Matamoros issued a level 2 travel warning asking Americans to avoid procedures with epidurals due to the meningitis outbreak.
“We’ve had three close friends of ours in the same hospital, went to the same clinics, and they’ve passed. Most recently her best friend,” Tapia said.
But Villegas is a strong woman and she’s fighting back. She is a mother of three who always led a healthy lifestyle. She is a fitness instructor and local fitness influencer. She has lived her life helping others, and now, in the hardest battle of her life, she wants her pain to be meaningful.
“Please, please be aware of the risks of cosmetic surgeries. Our hope is to spread awareness so that people can actually do the research,” Tapia said.
“You really think about it. Is it worth it? Is it not worth it? Do you need it? Do you not need it? You’re pretty the way you are. Don’t ruin your life away. It’s not worth it!” Villegas pleaded.
The long hospital stay has meant financial struggles for the family. A GoFundMe account has been set up to help them with medical expenses.