On 7 July 2021, the bodybuilding world was shocked by the sudden passing of the fitness influencer, Odalis Santos Mena. An unforeseen complication during a medical procedure led to the untimely demise of the 23-year-old bodybuilder. However, the clinic and medical staff involved in the procedure blamed Mena for withholding some vital information that eventually caused the complication.

Later, Mena’s boyfriend, Victor Manuel Gómez Carreño, came forward to rubbish the statement made by the clinic. He claimed that an allergic reaction to the procedure led to such an unfortunate situation. In an interview with the Insider in 2021, he gave a detailed account of what went down between Mena and the clinic.

What happened to Odalis Santos Mena?

In 2021, fitness influencer and bodybuilder, Santos Mena, underwent an FDA-approved treatment named miraDry. The procedure is to reduce the production of sweat from the underarms. Though Mena did not suffer from excessive sweating, she had to go through the procedure as a part of her promotional deal with the SkinPiel clinic. SkinPiel, a wellness center, and dermatology clinic were using Mena’s massive fan following to promote their procedure.

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A few hours before her death, she had posted about the same on her Instagram story. However, when the influencer died in the middle of the procedure, they received heavy backlash for medical negligence. Soon the clinic released a statement, claiming that the anesthesia reacted to the steroids present in the bodybuilder’s body.

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“Everything seems to indicate that the anesthesia reacted with the substances present in Odalis’ body, since steroids, anabolics, and clenbuterol alter the metabolism and affect the growth of the heart,” read the statement. Mena had suffered a cardiac arrest in the middle of the procedure. They added that Mena had held back the information that she was on steroids.

The boyfriend of the deceased bodybuilder rubbished the claims

Santos Mena’s boyfriend came forward and denounced the statement released by the clinic. He revealed that the autopsy report stated that none of the elements mentioned by the clinic were present in Mena’s body. Furthermore, they had consulted experts who ruled out the possibility of anesthesia reacting badly with steroids.

So even if Mena had consumed steroids, it wouldn’t have led to her death. He added, “It is an allergic reaction and has absolutely nothing to do with the sport she practiced and to which she devoted her life and years of work.”

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Gómez Carreño further alleged that the clinic was under investigation for malpractice. Who or what was the cause of the young influencer’s death is still a controversial matter.