Secuelas vasculares
Daniela Álvarez: recovering from vascular sequelae after ischaemia
The Colombian model and former beauty queen came to Foltra with limited mobility and sensation in her right leg after an ischaemic event. This is how her recovery went.
In 2020, Daniela Álvarez a Colombian model, former beauty queen and television presenter suffered a severe ischaemic event. What followed was a process of loss, adaptation and recovery that brought her to Centro Sanitario Foltra. This is her story.
Before coming to Foltra
The 2020 ischaemia had two consequences for Daniela: the amputation of her left leg and, in addition, significant limitations in the sensation and mobility of her right leg. This second consequence, less visible but just as limiting, was the one that most affected her daily life: the leg she still had did not respond normally when walking or when putting weight on the foot.
The conventional prognosis left little room. As happens with many vascular sequelae, the health system tends to settle treatment once the first few months have passed. Daniela did not accept that limit.
Treatment at Foltra
Daniela came to Centro Sanitario Foltra specifically to treat the neurological sequelae in her right leg, following the method of Dr Jesús Devesa. The approach focused on recovering neurological function in the remaining limb: working on the mobility of the foot and restoring lost sensation through intensive neurorehabilitation.
Treatment lasted a few months. Over the course of the process, Daniela gradually regained response in the foot.
The outcome
By the end of treatment, Daniela had improved both the range of movement in her foot and the sensation in it. Two weeks after being discharged from Foltra, with her prosthesis fitted, she became the first Colombian woman with a physical disability to walk for L’Oréal in Paris, turning the runway into a stage for visibility and inclusion.
Her case illustrates something we see often at Foltra: vascular neurological sequelae —those affecting movement and sensation in the limbs— can improve beyond the period that conventional practice regards as the «window of recovery».
Do you have sequelae after a stroke or a vascular event?
If you or someone in your family lives with limited mobility or sensation after a stroke, there may be more room for improvement than you have been told. At Foltra we assess every case individually, without treating anything as final before we have looked at it.
