Millena Brandão was a young Brazilian actress and model who was just 11 years old. She was best known for her role in the popular Netflix series Sintonia. Sadly, Millena passed away on May 2, and while reports say she had multiple heart attacks, the exact cause of her death is still not clear.
Her mom, Thays Brandão, shared some heartbreaking details with the Brazilian news site G1. It all started on April 24, when Millena began having really bad headaches, pain in her legs, felt super tired, and didn’t want to eat. They took her to the hospital that day, and the doctors thought she had dengue fever, a common illness in Brazil, but they sent her home without doing any tests.
When Millena didn’t get better, her family took her back to the hospital on April 26, but once again, she was sent home without a clear diagnosis. Things got worse quickly — on April 28, Millena fainted at home and was rushed to the hospital. The next morning, she went into cardiac arrest, meaning her heart stopped beating properly, and she had to be put on life support. Her mom described how her lips turned purple and how the doctors had to resuscitate her and insert a breathing tube. After that, Millena never woke up again.
Doctors did a CT scan and found a 5-centimeter lump in her brain. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a neurologist available to explain what the lump was—it could have been a tumor, cyst, swelling, or a blood clot.
Over the next few days, Millena’s condition got worse, and she had a total of 13 heart arrests, which is when the heart stops and has to be restarted. Her mom said some days there were two or three heart arrests, and one day, she even had seven times when she stopped breathing. The doctors finally declared that Millena’s brain was dead, meaning she had no chance to recover. After a painful decision, her parents agreed to turn off the machines keeping her alive.
Thays shared the sad news on Instagram on May 3, posting a photo of Millena with angel wings and a halo, remembering her little girl.
Besides Sintonia, Millena was also known for her role in the soap opera The Childhood of Romeo and Juliet. She worked as a model too and appeared in several brand campaigns. Her death shocked many, and she will be remembered for her talent and bright spirit.
