Gilberto Nogueira de Oliveira had a wound no man wants to imagine—and a hospital that, instead of protecting him, left him exposed.
In December 2023, his then-partner, Daiane dos Santos Farias, amputated his penis. While receiving medical care at Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Atibaia, in the state of São Paulo, Gilberto authorized medical professionals to photograph the injury for clinical purposes. Those images ended up circulating in WhatsApp groups and on social media.
The court was able to link the images to the hospital thanks to details visible in the photos themselves: a computer, the institution’s internal systems, and files open on the screen. The court concluded that the photos had been taken inside Santa Casa and that the patient had been exposed in a degrading manner. Gilberto had sought 100.000 reais (about 18.000 dollars); the ruling set the compensation at 20.000 (about 3.600 dollars). He considers it insufficient and plans to appeal.
The most bewildering part is what he wants to do with the money. He said some of it could go toward marrying Daiane again and paying for a penile prosthesis, a procedure he is also trying to obtain through the public health system.
Daiane was sentenced to 4 years and 8 months in prison and was granted parole in November 2025, after spending 683 days behind bars. Even with her behind bars, the couple resumed contact: Gilberto publicly said he had forgiven her and that they want to rebuild their relationship.
