Model Who Lost hands, Feet Dies At 20

A Brazilian model whose feet and hands were amputated because of an infection died early this morning. Mariana Bridi's condition deteriorated overnight, from 'serious' to 'very serious' on Friday, the Espirito Santo State Health Secretariat said in a statement.

The 20-year-old beauty, who was twice a finalist in the Brazilian stage of the Miss World pageant, suffered from a generalized infection that forced the amputation of her hands and feet because the flow of oxygen to her limbs was reduced. Her feet were amputated last week and earlier this week doctors decided to surgically remove her hands. Bridi also had surgery to remove part of her stomach as doctors tried to stem internal bleeding, according to local media reports.

Bridi fell ill in December, when doctors diagnosed her with kidney stones, local media said, but her condition worsened and she was then diagnosed with a urinary tract infection that spread. Doctors said the infection was caused by the life-threatening bacteria Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, which is known to be resistant to multiple kinds of antibiotics.

The model was checked into Dorio Silva hospital in the city of Serra on 3 January, 2009. Bridi, who began modelling in her early teens, was a Miss World Brazil finalist in 2006 and 2007.

In 2007, she represented Brazil in the Miss Bikini International contest in China.