Tandra Bowser-Williams, a 49-year-old corrections captain in New York City, traveled to the Dominican Republic for a Brazilian Butt Lift surgery and died after a procedure performed by Hector Cabral, a doctor who was previously indicted for operating without a medical license.
Curtis Williams, Tandra Bowser-Williams’ husband, told the New York Daily News that his wife told him before she boarded a flight to Santo Domingo for the May 13 surgery that he would love the outcome.
“Her exact words to me were, ‘you’re gonna love Dr. Cabral’s work.’ I didn’t care one way or another.’ I accepted my wife as she was,” Williams explained.
However, a day after the procedure, Williams said he received a call from a nurse informing him that his wife had suffered a minor stroke. “They brought my wife out of the medically induced coma so she could unlock her phone, so that was how she was able to get in touch with me,” Williams explained.
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“I heard my wife in the background, and she was complaining about her stomach and her butt.”
Bowser-Williams, died before her husband could arrive in the Caribbean country. Hector Cabral, who performed the botched surgery, informed Williams that his wife suffered a massive stroke that “swallowed her brain.” According to reports, no investigation into her death has been launched. Williams also told the news outlet that his wife had no reservations about Cabral’s abilities, despite his previous run-ins with the law.
Cabral was charged with operating without a medical license by former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in 2011. That was after he provided services to at least ten women at health spas and beauty salons in Washington Heights, according to the Daily News.
In addition, Cabral had them come to the Dominican Republic for surgeries that did not go well, according to legal documents. Despite pleading guilty to a count of unauthorized practice of medicine, Cabral received no jail time. He was, however, fined $5,000 and ordered to pay $25,000 in restitution.
In addition, he received a sentence of 250 hours of community service in the Dominican Republic. Cabral’s clinic, Centro Internacional de Cirugia Plastica Avanzada, is said to offer procedures that include fat transfers and Brazilian Butt Lifts. He built the facility after returning to the Caribbean country, and Bowser-Williams underwent the procedure there.
In 2017, the New York City Health Department reported that eight New Yorkers who had surgery at Cabral’s clinic returned with skin infections. Following Bowser-Williams’ death, her husband stated that Cabral’s clinic covered a number of expenses, including his trip to the Dominican Republic and his wife’s embalmment.
“She was always a good captain, never tried to escape work, always worked in the jails, always worked with inmates,” Patrick Ferraiuolo, president of the Correction Captains union said. “It’s a real loss. She certainly didn’t deserve this. She was a trooper.”