Stories, News
03/03/2025

MATER: A place of peace and harmony after hospitalization

Testimonial

"It was very hard. At first I was asking for a miracle, I refused, I didn't want a transplant. I was worried that my daughter would accept the transplant, but everything happened very fast after the diagnosis. Finally, she was transplanted on time", Claudia Liliana Arias, Colombian, who arrived in Chile with her partner and their three children nine years ago, tells us.

Together with his family, he lives in Talca and they have faced together the illness of their daughter, Marhon Ximena, who was born with Wilson's disease. This genetic condition causes her body to absorb and retain too much copper. Over time, Marhon Ximena's liver began to fail. At the age of nine she showed symptoms of fatigue and weakness, and at the age of fifteen, last December, she had to be transplanted in Santiago, with all the inconveniences of accommodation that such a situation implies.

"Through the hospital's social service we learned about the Shelter House. It is very peaceful. I find the house very, very nice, very pleasant. I am very grateful. This place is harmony, peace and tranquility after the stress and frustration of more than a month in the hospital," adds Claudia Liliana, whom we thank for her generosity in sharing her testimony, which can be a contribution for families in similar situations.

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Dr. Francisca Yankovic is a pediatric surgeon and urologist who trained at the University of Chile and completed a subspecialty fellowship at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. An associate professor at the University of Chile, director of the Pediatric Urology training program, and past president of the Chilean Society of Pediatric Surgery, she has firsthand knowledge of the challenges faced by children with complex urological conditions. For nearly a decade, she has volunteered with Corporación MATER, an experience that has confirmed to her that improving access to healthcare can change a life.
Dr. Renato Gana has been associated with Corporación Mater since its inception. As a pediatric urologist, he participated in the first surgical campaigns and has been part of an initiative that aims to provide specialized surgery to children living in regions where treating certain conditions can be much more difficult.
More than 50 children were able to undergo surgery thanks to new medical campaigns organized by Corporación MATER in collaboration with local health services and various partner institutions.
The MATER Children's Kidney Foundation brought together those who helped it take its first steps to thank them for three decades of support, solidarity, and work on behalf of children throughout Chile.
Dr. José Manuel Escala is the founder and president of Corporación Mater. As the organization marks its 30th anniversary, we sat down with him to discuss its origins, its major achievements, and the need to carry this work forward—a conversation in which he also acknowledges and thanks those who have played a vital role along the way.
For the past four years, Constanza Olivares has been the coordinator of highly complex surgical operations carried out by the MATER Corporation throughout Chile. A nurse and midwife by profession, she speaks of her work with conviction and gratitude: "The Corporation has allowed me to develop not only professionally, but also to provide more care to patients. And that, for me, is tremendously satisfying."