Justice for Evita
Thank you so much for the feed back on the videos, I feel really positive about them and will continue to do them when I can.
Here is the Gofundme link for those that have offered to continue supporting us whilst we are in Mexico.
We are asking our community for a more assistance during this interval, only those than can.
Please don't worry if you cannot.
We will not die of hunger here.
God always finds a way, he has for more than 22 months.
There will be other ways you can support this case if you can not do it economically.
A change.org petition will soon be circulating the web, we will need your signature and also we will need you to continue sharing content, information to help us raise awareness of the dark side of this industry that eventually lead to Evitas death.
The cost of living is not high so we don't have issues there.
What has forced me to launch Gofundme after so long is that the case has taken way longer than it should have and there are some sums (a bit out of my reach in such a short time frame) of additional official forensic/specialist/ documentations and charges that need to be deposited before the end of December (the last date to integrate official evidence to support Evitas real cause of death) - more specific details below.
Mum and I are safe and feeling better that we are together during this journey.
Being apart was making this harder than it needed to be.
Unfortunately the date for justice continues to be delayed and so our stay in Mexico continues to be extended.
These delays continue to given our team more time to understand the deception and manipulations and the nature of the solution in order to prevent this doctor from continuing to increase his death toll.
So we use this time to continue integrating new evidence against this Doctor.
What do we need these new funds for:
1. A third and private medical opinion has been sought since the Mexican CONAMED the National Arbitrage de Medicine will not have their report ready to hand in before the 21st December (the final date to hand in final evidences).
2. Specialist legal advise for the Federal case that was brought down to the state level without informing us of the change.
We spend 5 months chasing this case with no one willing to inform of us that the case had been deemed State Material.
The federal case against Dr Perez (the anaesthetist present during Evita's operation disabled without a trace.
3. Travel and accommodation costs to and from Mexicali which needs to be done at least twice a month or the case gets lost in the archives.
Travel to the Capital need to be done at least once a month to follow up on the new National Commission of Human Rights Investigation, CONAMED, Military and deep of Health administrative charges, Australian Embassy and other matters.
5. Travel and accommodation costs to fly in all the witnesses/specialists/forensics (3 forensics, 3 specialists and 2 lawyers) for the case.
6. Supporting the new family that has come forward with the death of their sister Roseanne Falcon is also a priority. When I head over to support them in Mexicali the accommodation and transport we wear those costs with no charge to their family. The cases working alongside each other are positive for the nature of the issue.
7. Living costs are extremely low here in Mexico, this is a great help for us.
Mum and I will in fact be saving on costs in this area since they are so cheap in comparison to costs back Home.
However, since I am not generating funds I am falling deeper into debt.
I will be looking at ways to sustain a personal income in 2017 based on my research area (psychology and community work) and it seems promising, we should be seeking any more economical assistance after that God willing. Since I now have more certainty of how much longer I need to stay here I can plan ahead.
The assistance is just during this interval, the costs where larger than I planned frown emoticon:(
We thank you for the continued love and support.
Thank you to those that have supported with costs here and there during these last few months I have battled.
What ever funds are left over and whatever funds are returned to us if the cases win will be used towards paying the debts left behind, also they will help create a non-profit system to support the further raising of awareness of the lack of regulation of this industry via an online platform (evitaa.com) and the creation of online documentary of the facts that can help other cases and patients.
Lots of love,
Andrea Sarmonikas
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On Friday the 20th March our beloved Evita Sarmonikas passed away in hospital in Mexicali, Mexico. She was only 29 and in the prime of her life. She has left behind her sister and her mother who are desperate to go to Mexico to bring her home to Australia.
Evita was a vibrant, loving individual who will be sadly missed and leaves a big hole in our family.
We are seeking financial donations that we need for our long journey ahead. Every little bit will help.
The funds will be used for travel expenses, accomodation in Mexico and any professional and legal advice that we may need in order to bring Evita home.
Evita as we knew her on earth would be devastated at the amount of attention she is receiving at the moment, as she was extremely private and worked very hard to never be a burden on anybody. But the way she passed away deserves to known, people need to know and Evita deserves justice.
Latest media release below:
Evita
Published: 23 July 2015
Sister fights on after Mexican cosmetic surgery tragedy
Queensland woman Andrea Sarmonikas is fighting an epic legal battle following the death of her younger sister. And she’s fighting it in the Mexican border town of Mexicali.
“I want to receive justice," Andrea says. "I’m not moving from here until we get to the end of this. No way, no way am I leaving.”
29-year-old Evita Sarmonikas died in March after trouble during a cosmetic surgery procedure to enlarge her buttocks.
The initial autopsy by Mexican authorities claimed that Evita died of natural causes during the operation.
“We were initially told that Evita passed away from a heart attack,” Andrea recalls. “Then the second answer was that she had a pulmonary embolism.”
But Andrea wasn’t convinced.
“Eva was a healthy young woman,” she says, “so I just had an intuition something wasn’t right.”
The family ordered their own private autopsy, which revealed that, far from dying of natural complications, Evita was stabbed five times in the lung area during the surgery.
The procedure, known as a Brazilian Butt Lift, involves injecting fat into the buttocks which has been removed from elsewhere in the body using a thin metal tube called a cannula.
“That cannula is no different from a knife,” explains Australian surgeon Dr Ashley Granot. “If you put it in the wrong place, if you push it in the wrong direction, you will have the potential of killing the patient.”
Alleging malpractice and suspecting a cover-up, Andrea has put her life on hold and moved to Mexico, where her case against plastic surgeon Dr Victor Ramírez is making headlines.
The case hinges on the distinction between ‘plastic’ and ‘cosmetic’ surgeons in Mexico, and their training and accreditation in a country where medical tourism is a boom industry.
“Just because he’s a plastic surgeon does not make him inherently capable of conducting cosmetic surgeries,” Andrea says.
“I can confidently say that this doctor did not have the training for the cosmetic procedure that he conducted on my sister. I am not afraid to say that anymore.”
Dr Ramírez is also believed to be involved in the deaths of other young women, and has been stripped of some of his accreditation. But Andrea is determined to ensure he’s barred from conducting surgery altogether.
“If he’s guilty, and anyone else who participated is guilty, they’re all out there free and practicing, and that means women’s lives are at risk.”
And she’s vowed not to leave Mexico until the way Eva died is officially recognised, and the industry begins to reform.
“If she had had access to the information that we now know, my sister would not have chosen this doctor, and she would be alive now,” she adds.
“It’s just such a tragedy… What a tragic way to go, and so preventable.”
If you’d like more information or to contribute to Andrea’s campaign, please visitevitaa.com or Evita’s memorial Facebook page.