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NEED TO KNOW
- Food influencer Nathan Aguilera is awaiting skull reattachment surgery after he was seriously injured in an alleged hit-and-run in Mexico on May 17
- Aguilera, who boasts nearly 46,000 followers on Instagram, was diagnosed with a fractured skull and brain bleed following the incident
- A GoFundMe page raising money for medical and rehabilitation costs for the social media star has garnered over $28,500
A food influencer has been left with part of his skull missing as he awaits reattachment surgery after being involved in an alleged hit-and-run incident in Mexico.
Nathan Aguilera, who boasts nearly 46,000 followers on Instagram, was critically injured after he was hit by a car while walking home after dining out with friends on May 17, according to a GoFundMe page.
His belongings were stolen and he was turned away from a private hospital after not having any ID or money, per the page. “[He was] eventually transported to a public hospital in critical condition,” friend Connor Allman wrote.
Aguilera, who is originally from Oklahoma City, said he was rescued by locals in the area. “Some people came together and started being like, ‘We need an ambulance! ” he told KFOR. “Some people saw that happen and thought, ‘This is a great time to go rob that guy, he doesn’t have enough going on.’ ”
At the hospital, Aguilera was diagnosed with a brain bleed and a cracked skull. He was then sent home, where his condition worsened, KFOR reported.
GoFundMe
According to the outlet, Aguilera’s friends and family flew to Mexico to see him after not hearing from him for a few days and found him “unconscious and bleeding.” He was eventually sent to a hospital for emergency brain surgery.
“Despite clear signs of a traumatic brain injury — including confusion, memory loss, an ear bleed, and a dangerously low Glasgow Coma Score — Nathan was repeatedly denied care in the days that followed due to insurance delays,” Allman alleged in the GoFundMe. “It wasn’t until five days after the incident that Nathan finally underwent emergency brain surgery.”
Aguilera “faces a long and expensive road ahead” in recovery after being placed in a medically induced coma, wrote Allman. The page so far has raised over $28,500 with a goal of reaching $50,00 to cover medical and rehabilitation costs for the influencer.
The Oklahoma native is having round-the-clock care and therapy as he prepares for his final skull reattachment surgery. “I’m not allowed to be by myself for one minute of the day,” he told KFOR. “One more slip and fall, apparently it can kill me.”
GoFundMe
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The insurance coverage used for his medical care cost $250,000 and the surgery and required year of rehab afterward will cost $100,000, per KFOR.
“Everyone has put their entire lives on hold to try and help me get through this. And it’s just it’s really meaningful to me,” Aguilera told the outlet.