A gorgeous influencer left paralysed from the neck down when she dived into the water has been able to move her arm after compassionate permission was given for her to trial a pioneering new drug.
The miracle moment was recorded at a hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on 23rd January, weeks after the accident that left her hospitalised during a party on a beach in Maresias on the northern coast of Sao Paulo state.
Flavia Bueno, 35, a nutritionist and social media influencer with more than 155,000 followers, suffered the serious spinal cord injury on 3rd January after diving into the sea and hitting her head on the bottom during the New Year celebrations.
She lost consciousness at the scene and was taken to a hospital in Sao SebastiĂŁo before being intubated and transferred to Hospital Albert Einstein, in the city of Sao Paulo, where she has remained in the intensive care unit since 4th January.
Doctors diagnosed injuries to her spinal cord affecting three cervical vertebrae, as well as two ischaemic brain injuries, described as “micro-strokes”, caused by arterial blockage linked to the trauma.
Flavia Bueno poses in undated photo. The influencer is hospitalised in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Note: Private photo taken from social media. (@nutri.flaviabueno/Newsflash)
On 23rd January, she received an application of polylaminin, an experimental protein still in testing phases in Brazil, after her family obtained a court injunction allowing its compassionate use.
According to her family, Flavia was able to move her right arm after the application, something that had not occurred before the treatment, with the movement shown in video footage.
The substance, developed through research led by Brazilian scientist Tatiana Sampaio at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, is a laboratory-produced version of laminin, a protein involved in neural development and connection, and has been studied for more than 20 years.
Polylaminin is not authorised by Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa for commercial use or standard treatment and is currently undergoing human testing, with Flavia not enrolled in a formal clinical trial.
Flavia Bueno poses in undated photo. The influencer is hospitalised in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Note: Private photo taken from social media. (@nutri.flaviabueno/Newsflash)
The application was carried out by doctors and researchers linked to pharmaceutical laboratory Cristalia, which is responsible for the drug’s industrial development, according to her brother, Felipe Checchin.
Cristalia said in a statement that access to the medication was granted through Anvisa’s compassionate use programme following judicial approval, and that patients formally included in phase one clinical trials have not yet been selected.
Flavia has undergone two spinal surgeries since the accident and is now considered out of immediate life-threatening risk, according to her family.
Influencer who suffered a spinal injury after diving receives polylaminin and moves her right arm in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Flavia suffered an accident while diving at Maresias beach, on the North coast of Sao Paulo. Note: Photo is a screenshot from the video (@nutri.flaviabueno/Newsflash)
Without private health insurance, her hospital and treatment costs have exceeded BRL 1 million (GBP 138,800), and relatives have launched an online fundraiser to help cover the expenses.
The family expects her to remain at Hospital Albert Einstein for another 30 to 40 days before a possible transfer to a public hospital, depending on her recovery.
(Aloysius Fernandes /Newsflash)