Colleague talks about the last hours of the doctor who died in a shelter in RS; read report

Dermatologist Carlos José Cardoso published a video on his social networks commenting on what happened to doctor Leandro Medice Passos Costa, 41 years old, who died last Monday (13) in a shelter in the city of São Leopoldo (RS), in the region metropolitan area of ​​Porto Alegre. Cardoso was accompanying Leandro on the trip to the south of the country.

According to Cardoso, hours before being found dead, Leandro appeared to be fine. The duo left Espírito Santo in the early hours of Sunday (12) to work, on a voluntary basis, in helping victims of the rain in Rio Grande do Sul. The following day, Leandro was found dead.

Throughout Sunday, Cardoso stated, both responded normally. At the end of the day, they returned to the shelter where they would sleep and talked until close to midnight.

“We agreed that I would stay on duty at night, because he was a little more tired, but he was fine. He was happy, he wasn't feeling anything. We talked a lot before he went to sleep. I even joked with him that I would sleep in the other room, because he snores”, said the dermatologist. Read the full report below.

According to the report published in the video, Cardoso took a look around the place at around 4am and noticed that Leandro was breathing. “I went next to him and he was snoring a little,” he said.

Shortly afterwards, between 5am and 6am, the dermatologist returned to call his colleague. “He was in a position looking a little uncomfortable. The environment wasn't that clear yet. The day hadn’t dawned and I didn’t want to wake it up at that moment.”

Cardoso stated that, after about half an hour, he went back to the place where Leandro was sleeping. “As he didn’t respond to my call, I went to feel him and he was already cold. And then I found out that he had died. It was a big scare, because, although we are doctors, I was not psychologically prepared.”

Cause of death

The clinic where Leandro worked made a post on a social network stating that the doctor suffered a sudden illness. According to Cardoso, however, it is still not known what caused this situation.

“We don’t know what it is [que provocou a morte]. The press was saying it was a heart attack. We don't know what it is. He had no signs of who had a heart attack. Especially because he was a cardiologist and, if he had felt any pain, anything, he would have called me. I was awake, he knew I was next door”, he highlighted.

“He died abruptly, an immediate death that we don’t know what it is. There could be several possibilities: a stroke, an embolism, a series of problems that until now we don’t know what they are”, added Cardoso.

“He died a hero”

Despite the sadness over the death, the dermatologist stated that, on the other hand, the situation brings relief. “It was death as a hero, fulfilling the word of God. This makes a lot of difference and comfort for our lives,” he commented.

“At the same time, it brings happiness that he died doing what he wanted to do: helping others, which was Christ's message, which is to bring bread to those who are hungry, to bring comfort to those who are uncomfortable. And that he was doing,” he added.

Wake and burial

Leandro's wake is scheduled to begin this Tuesday (14), at 9 pm, at the Jardim da Paz cemetery, in Serra, Espírito Santo. The funeral is scheduled for tomorrow at 10am.

Read the colleague’s full report:

“Hey guys. I am Carlos José Cardoso, a doctor who was accompanying Dr. Leandro, who passed away during our humanitarian aid work in Rio Grande do Sul.

I'm going to give a report because in each situation, everyone says something. And I was actually the closest one, right? I'm going to give a report so that each media outlet doesn't say different things.

We worked here on Saturday, with me doing hair transplants until 1 am, and him doing hair transplants at his other clinic, also until 11 pm or midnight.

We went to the airport together. We went on a private plane, which left at 4 am. But he was very good, very happy that we were doing this. Another doctor from Rio Grande do Sul who joined the group. We got there and went straight to work on Sunday.

We serve all day. We were in a shelter with 1,600 people, 500 children and about 200 dogs. There was even a dog at the shelter. There were a lot of people: elderly ward, children's ward, youth ward. And there were only two recently graduated doctors. As we are older, we have more experience, it made a lot of difference, because we were able to provide solutions, both he and cardiologist and clinician, and we provided a lot of care during the night.

We went to another shelter to serve more people, because, at the weekend, the volunteer doctors also stayed with their families. It was Mother's Day on Sunday. AND [depois dos atendimentos] we come back [ao abrigo] and we even stayed talking until around midnight. We agreed that I would stay on duty at night, because he was a little more tired, but he was fine, he was happy, he wasn't feeling anything. We talked a lot before he went to sleep. I even joked with him that I would sleep in the other room because he snores.

And then, at 4 am, I woke up to check and realized that he was breathing. I went next to him and he was snoring a little. And at 5 or 6 o'clock I got up so I could wake him up, so we could start preparing for the treatment. I arrived in the room, called him – I didn't call too loudly, no. He was in a position looking a little uncomfortable. The environment wasn't that clear yet. The day hadn't dawned and I didn't want to wake him up at that moment.

I came back 30 minutes later. And then, as he didn't respond to my call, I went to feel him and he was already cold. And then I found out that he had died. It was a huge scare, because, although we are doctors, I was not psychologically prepared. Then I discovered his death.

We don't know what it is [que provocou a morte]. The press was saying it was a heart attack. We don't know what it is. He had no signs of who had a heart attack. Especially because he was a cardiologist and, if he had felt any pain, anything, he would have called me. I was awake, he knew I was next door.

He died abruptly, an immediate death that we don't know what it is. There could be several possibilities: a stroke, an embolism, a series of problems that until now we don't know what it is.

His body is in the IML. It should come today, during the day or late afternoon. Yesterday we spent the whole day trying to bring his body back, because he's not easy. There are no aircraft, no place to land. There are few seats available and you cannot come on any plane. He has to come on a plane that can bring his ballot box.

Then that's it. It brings, at the same time, happiness that he died doing what he wanted to do: helping others, which was Christ's message, which is to bring bread to those who are hungry, to bring comfort to those who are uncomfortable. And this he was doing. It was death as a hero, fulfilling the word of God. This makes a lot of difference and comfort to our lives.”