11-year-old child actor passes away after experiencing several heart attacks

A beloved child actor has tragically passed away after suffering multiple heart attacks, her mother has confirmed.

Millena Brandão, 11, was taken to Granjaú General Hospital in São Paulo, Brazil last Wednesday after experiencing intense headaches. Sadly, she passed away on Friday due to unknown causes.

Brandão, who appeared in the Netflix series Sintonia, had 12 cardiac arrests between Wednesday and Thursday, according to her doctor.

Brandão’s cause of death was still unknown as of Monday.

‘The doctors have not yet provided any information on what led to my daughter’s death,’ Millena’s mother, Thays Brandão, shared with Brazilian news outlet G1.

Millena Brandão experienced headaches, pain in her leg, drowsiness, loss of appetite and had fainted since April 24.

During that time she visited a city urgent care center and two São Paulo state-run hospitals. 

Doctors initially believed the young model had dengue fever before additional tests revealed a brain tumor. 

Brazilian child actor and model, Millena Brandão, died last Friday, nine days after she first fell ill

11-year-old Brazilian actress and model, Millena Brandão, went suffered 11 cardiac arrests between last Wednesday and Thursday before she died Friday

Prior to her tragic passing, Millena Brandão began her acting career in October 2023 on SBT (Brazilian Television System), performing in productions such as ‘A infância de Romeu e Julieta’ (Romeo and Juliet’s Childhood) and ‘A Caverna Encantada’ (The Enchanted Cave).

Thays Brandão, who also has a two-year-old daughter, questioned the care the doctors provided her daughter.

A physician at the state-run Pedreira General Hospital saw Millena Brandão on April 24 and treated her for a headache and told the grieving mother that the child had ‘dengue fever,’

‘But he didn’t do any tests. He told us to take her back home and give her dipyrone,’ Thays said. 

Millena Brandão cut short a modeling event April 26 due to pain in her leg and was taken to Pedreira General Hospital, but tests did not reveal any issues and she was told to rest at home, her mother said.

Thays Brandão (rear right) with her husband (rear left), two year-old daughter (front left) and 11-year-old daughter Millena Brandão (front right)

Millena Brandão made her acting debut in October 2023 on SBT [Brazilian Television System] 

The family planned on attending mass at a local church April 28, but returned home after Millena Brandão told her parents she was experiencing headaches, had no appetite and was drowsy.

Millena Brandão had dinner at home April 29 and then fainted in the bathroom. 

Her parents took her to Maria Antonieta Urgent Care Facility, where test came back negative for COVID-19,  H1N1 and dengue fever, but showed that she had ‘a urinary tract infection’ and was placed on medication.

‘She arrived with her unconscious in my husband’s arms. Then, she opened her eyes and regained consciousness,’ Thays Brandão recalled.

Staffers suggested she be transferred to a state-operated medical center in São Paulo, the state capital.

Thays Brandão complained that one of the nurses scolded a crying Millena Brandão, who pleased for help

‘She told her not to scream, that the pain wouldn’t go away like that,’ the mother said.

Millena Brandão was taken to Granjaú General Hospital and was intubated after she had her first cardiac arrest.

“Her lip turned purple. Then they resuscitated her and intubated her. From that day on, she never woke up again,” Thays Brandão said.