The PALM BEACH POST has the sad but disturbing news of a Florida high school cheerleader who died while having plastic surgery done on her breasts.

18-year-old Stephanie Kuleba, captain of the West Boca High cheerleading squad, suffered complications during breast surgery last Friday, and passed away the following day.

Authorities believed that a rare condition called Malignant Hyperthermia is what killed the teen. The condition occurs while the patient is under anesthesia and can cause rapid heart rate, rigid muscles, and fever of 110 degrees or higher.

Kuleba, a 4.0 GPA senior who was going to study medicine at the U. of Florida next year, apparently decided to go under the knife to “correct asymmetrical breasts and inverted nipples.” But as one of her friends said when they heard about the surgery, “If you knew her, you wouldn’t think she needed that. She’s perfect.”

Unfortunately, Stephanie was just one of a growing number of young girls who feel the need to risk such surgery to make themselves look & feel better.

More than 333,000 adolescents 18 years or younger underwent plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures in 2005, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Breast augmentation was one of the most popular.

In 2007, there were 10,505 breast augmentation procedures performed on 18- and 19-year-olds; up from, 9,104 the year before. Another 1,700 teens between 13 and 19 underwent breast lift surgery.

But now one young gal who tried to make her perfect life even more perfect tragically had it cut short.