- Mateus Facio underwent a two-hour operation to remove a bullet from his brain
A Brazilian student continued partying for four days without realizing he had been shot in the head, leaving a bullet lodged in his brain.
Mateus Facio, 21, thought he had been hit in the head by someone throwing a rock while partying on New Year’s Eve in Rio de Janeiro and thought nothing of it after the bleeding quickly stopped.
Facio spent the next four days partying with friends and swimming in the ocean – completely unaware that he had been shot.
He eventually sought medical attention because his right arm was cramping. After performing a CT scan, medics were shocked to discover a bullet lodged in Facio’s brain.
Facio underwent a two-hour life-saving operation and spent two days in intensive care, while the university student was now recovering at his home in Juiz de Fora, southern Brazil.
Facio underwent a life-saving two-hour operation and spent two days in intensive care, while the university student was now recovering at his home in Juiz de Fora, southern Brazil.
He eventually sought medical attention because his right arm was cramping. After performing a CT scan, medics were shocked to discover a bullet lodged in Facio’s brain
Mateus Facio, 21, thought he had been hit in the head by someone throwing a rock while partying on New Year’s Eve in Rio de Janeiro and thought nothing of it after the bleeding quickly stopped
He went to hospital only a few days after completing the 200-mile journey home to Juiz de Fora, during which he had to repeatedly stop driving due to cramps in his right arm.
Facio said the journey took seven hours instead of the normal four and a half hours because of the shooting pains.
Neurosurgeon Flavio Falcometa said after the student’s operation: ‘Part of the bullet penetrated his brain, causing compression in that area and leading to involuntary movements of his arm.
‘If it had landed a few millimeters further it could have caused much more serious damage and paralyzed his arm or one side of his body.
“It was very risky for the patient, but we think he will be able to continue his normal life within 20 to 30 days.”
Police were last night analyzing the bullet removed from his head as they began an investigation into who fired the shot, which could have had devastating consequences for Facio.
Facio was with friends on a beach in Cabo Frio east of Rio de Janeiro preparing to celebrate the New Year when he was hit in the head
He told the remarkable story of his survival and continued recovery to the Brazilian TV program Jornal Nacional.
Facio was with friends on a beach in Cabo Frio east of Rio de Janeiro preparing for the New Year when he was hit in the head.
He recalled: ‘I thought it was a rock, something like that. It was like the sound of an explosion, when a bomb goes off, but in my head.
“The bleeding stopped, we left, I took a shower and went to party.”
After waking up on New Year’s Day, Facio and his friends headed back to a local beach and on January 2, he made the long journey back to his hometown of Juiz de Fora in neighboring Minas Gerais state.
He went to the hospital on January 4, almost five days after he was shot, after his right arm became “drooping” and muscle spasms began.
Police took a statement from him after it turned out that the problems were caused by a bullet to his brain.
Detectives in Cabo Frio are now trying to determine who fired the gun that could have killed Facio, who plans to become a doctor.
His relieved mother said: ‘It is inexplicable how someone can have a bullet in the head for four days and survive. It feels like my son has been born again.’