2024-02-02 05:00:54
“Our story was very intense, everything good and bad happened to us too quickly”, says communicator Lívia Costa, 37 years old. It is with this sentence that she begins to tell the love story she lived with chef Harry Lopes, 40 years old.
Harry died of heart failure a month before their planned wedding date. The heart problem arose because of chronic malnutrition, which he began to suffer after undergoing bariatric surgery.
The lack of vitamins was so serious and had been going on for so long that it had irreversible consequences for Harry’s heart. “In his final moments, when he was in ICU, Harry had six cardiac arrests, but he came back from them all. He was passionate about life,” says Lívia.
Read also Health Wegovy improves cases of heart failure and obesity, says study Health Heart failure: find out what causes Faustão’s condition Health Drinking little water increases the risk of heart failure, says study Health Heart failure: cardiologist lists signs and risk factors Lívia and Harry met in 2020, during the pandemic Intense love
Harry and Lívia’s story began in June 2020, in the middle of the Covid pandemic. The couple from Porto Velho (RO) met on social media and had their first date on her birthday, in July, after both taking Covid tests.
“The day after I tested negative for Covid, he arrived at my house with cake, soda and singing happy birthday. Since then, we haven’t let go. We started living together on August 10, 2020. Everything was very intense”, remembers Lívia.
For three years, the chef and the communicator lived in a relationship that she summarizes as “full and peaceful”, until the symptoms of her partner’s health problem began to manifest themselves. He started to have cardiac arrhythmia, with his heartbeat accelerating for no apparent reason.
“He thought it was anxiety because we were building our house, but decided to investigate with the cardiologist. That’s when we discovered that he had a serious post-bariatric complication”, says Lívia.
Lack of minerals
Harry had undergone bariatric surgery long before he met Lívia, in the early 2000s. The technique used by the medical team was Scopinaro bariatric surgery, which changes the configuration of the digestive system and leads to weight loss due to poor absorption of foods. Currently, the method has practically fallen into disuse due to its complications.
To avoid this side effect of the surgery, Harry took vitamin supplements, especially A and D. He, however, neglected follow-up exams and ended up having deficiencies in selenium, copper, potassium and B1.
According to cardiologist Ricardo Cals, from Hospital Santa Lúcia Norte, in Brasília, although uncommon, vitamin and mineral deficiencies can affect the functioning of the heart.
“There are hypovitaminosis (vitamin deficiencies) that can be extremely harmful to the heart, especially a lack of copper or potassium. In general, replacement helps patients, but for those who already have a more serious heart condition, the imbalance can be irreversible”, comments the doctor.
Last attempts
When Harry decided to investigate his health, the situation was already very serious. He was immediately put on the line for a heart transplant, but would have to undergo bariatric surgery before receiving a new organ.
His condition quickly worsened and the couple decided to move to São Paulo in an attempt to increase the chances of treatment. There, during his first hospitalization, Harry asked Lívia to marry him.
“He called the doctor who took care of him in the ICU, the nursing team, and asked me to marry him in front of everyone”, he recalls.
Four months later, he was discharged and the two returned to Porto Velho. Henry’s health was not perfect, but he returned to directing and carrying out the projects he loved, especially finishing the construction of their house.
They also started planning the wedding, together they chose the reception menu, the honeymoon destination and the clothes they would wear at the ceremony.
window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: “rec-reel-2n5-a”, container: “taboola-mid-article-reco-reel”, placement: “Mid Article Reco Reel”, target_type: “mix” }); The two spent three years together and were already building a house for the family. Promise to be fulfilled
The couple had scheduled their wedding for November 25, 2023. On October 7, Harry had to be hospitalized due to a worsening condition. “We were in the final preparations of the house. Before being admitted, he chose the color he wanted for the walls, we had also decided on the places where we would take our wedding photos”, remembers Lívia, between tears.
Before being admitted to the ICU, Henry made his future wife promise that she would move on with her life if he left. “He made me guarantee that I would make all our dreams come true,” she says. According to her, the words were: “You will finish our house, you will take our photos, you will go on our honeymoon trip and I will remain by your side, no matter what happens’”.
Three days after Lívia made the promise, he died. For her, to this day it is still difficult to put into words the feeling of helplessness that remained.
Lívia Harry couple death heart failure Rondônia (6)
The places where the photos were taken were decided together with the groom Paulo Viana/Personal collection
Lívia Harry couple death heart failure Rondônia (5)
Lívia made a promise to her lover: she would carry out the plans made by the couple Paulo Viana/Personal collection
Lívia Harry couple death heart failure Rondônia (4)
Harry died a month before the wedding ceremony Paulo Viana/Personal collection
Lívia Harry couple death heart failure Rondônia (3)
The photo shoot was marked by sadness Paulo Viana/Personal collection
Back Progress 0 Recovering bride
“There are three things that sustain me: my faith in a reunion beyond life. Our families, which became one, and his words, in our last conversation”, she declares.
One of the promises was fulfilled exactly one month after his death: Lívia took the wedding photos dressed as a bride in the locations they had decided on together.
The moment was a mixture of love and longing. Accompanied by relatives, including her mother and mother-in-law, Lívia walked the streets of Porto Velho celebrating the memory of their relationship. “This photo shoot for me was like marrying him, I cried several times. Being there with our families supporting me and taking our dream forward, I felt Harry’s presence”, she says.
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