2023-11-25 16:34:38
For the first time, Tatiana González decides to talk to a media outlet and tells the story of her daughter, a 10-year-old girl who was diagnosed with a strange infection that ended her life.
The youngest contracted a dangerous parasite that destroys everything in its path and hides in swimming pools, jacuzzis and even lakes. It is a rare case for medicine and one that has alarm bells going off in Colombia.
On June 18 of this year, Tatiana traveled with her daughter to Santa Marta to enjoy the holidays. Two days later, Stefania Villamizar began to complain of pain in her ear that extended to episodes of vomiting and fever. At first, her symptoms were treated as otitis.
On July 4th the Stations of the Cross began. Stefania woke up, but she was not the same. She didn’t want to get out of bed, the light bothered her and she called the service employee to accompany her to take a shower. A request that caused surprise in her house. Suddenly, standing inside the bathroom, she began to convulse.
The little girl remained under medical observation and underwent different procedures. It was evident that it was not a simple ear infection, but the specialists did not know what was happening. Unfortunately, 24 days later, Stefania died in the clinic surrounded by her parents and her other relatives. It was a death almost announced. Two days before her death, the girl was declared brain dead.
Eucharist in honor of Stefania | Photo: API
The diagnosis
A month after the death and after carrying out a series of autopsy studies, specialists determined that the girl died from encephalitis.
Neuroscientist William Contreras was part of the investigation and revealed in SEMANA details of the shocking conclusion. It is a ‘bug’ that literally eats the person’s brain until it causes their death.
“It is a parasite that, due to high temperatures and stagnant water, can live in areas such as swimming pools or jacuzzis and feeds on the brain. Symptoms begin with mild fever and general malaise and sometimes rhinitis; It occurs mainly in healthy individuals,” added Contreras.
According to the National Institute of Health, the morphological characteristics correspond to amoebic meningoencephalitis, which due to the leptomeningeal lesion pattern favors environmental origin of the Naegleria genus.
Stefanía Villamizar, 10 years old, submerged in a pool in Santa Marta and contracted an infection that claimed her life. | Photo: SUPPLIED PER WEEK BY THE FAMILY
The girl’s mother explained that, during her stay in Santa Marta, the little girl dived into a hotel pool. During the dive, the girl would have contracted the parasite through her nose and subsequently triggered the symptoms.
The most worrying thing is that, at least in Colombia, there is no treatment that combats the infection. Once the parasite enters the person, the victim has a 95% chance of dying.
For this reason, both the family and the specialists advise that hotel establishments have good sanitary practices to clean swimming pool spaces and avoid this type of dangerous infections.
The minor died after the parasite entered her body. | Photo: SUPPLIED PER WEEK BY THE FAMILY
Furthermore, with ‘Nía’ the gatherings full of laughter between a girl and her grandmother disappeared. With Carmenza she had a special connection. They played strikeouts or hide and seek. Regardless of the generational distances, it was her grandmother who chose clothes for her to wear on trips, like the one to Santa Marta, without knowing that it would be her last.
“My wife has not been able to assimilate his absence. We pass by a store or some place and everything relates to our granddaughter, she says: “Stefania would have liked this dress,” says Álvaro.
The powerful parasite took a granddaughter as loving as she was intelligent. It was this little girl who taught Álvaro, 70 years old, to play chess games on the computer; she even came up with an instruction manual so that he would not forget how to use the technology in his absence.
“I know he’s with me, I sit down, I play and if I lose I say ‘Nía, they beat us’,” he says with deep nostalgia.
Tatiana with her daughter Stefanía | Photo: API
Álvaro says with a tone of resignation that they lost the most loving girl; tennis player, skater, ballet dancer, who dreamed of being a gymnast. But they gained a little angel in heaven. He is convinced that his mission goes beyond life.
“May his death serve so that the Ministry of Health and the government take sanitary and preventive measures in all places where there are swimming pools, rivers or freshwater spaces, where this amoeba develops, and that the country’s doctors are ready to deal with these types of cases.”
If Stefanía had something, it was generosity. In her honor and although the pain seems to win them many times, they do not hide what happened.
“We tell our case so that other children and families do not suffer what we do. “We are destroyed, devastated.” In memory of Stefanía, the grandfather sent a letter and went to the hotel where he believes the little girl contracted the disease. In Santa Marta, the operations manager attended to them and promised to reinforce safety standards.
From July 6 until the 28th of that same month, this pair of grandparents were next to their granddaughter in the ICU of the San Luis children’s clinic in Bucaramanga. Hoping to once again share around a table, for example, a Kasper-style loin, the special dish prepared by one of Stefanía’s uncles-in-law, the same one who, according to Álvaro, was saved from suffering a serious accident while skiing in Europe. thanks to the protection of his granddaughter from heaven.
“We are sure that Stefanía accompanied him that day. “She was a miracle for him and I hope she is for more families.”
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