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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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."
Anesthesiologist Virginia Montecinos has just completed ten operations as a volunteer at Corporación Mater. This number speaks to her perseverance, but above all, her conviction. We spoke with her to find out what motivated her to join, what she has learned along the way, and why, in her opinion, volunteering not only transforms the lives of children and their families, but also those who participate in it.
The catalog, designed by artist Angelito Peñaranda, invites companies to give meaningful gifts that support the health of children awaiting medical care in Chile.
We worked hard throughout 2025 to reduce waiting times for children throughout Chile, providing them with adequate, high-quality healthcare.
The work of volunteer doctors is at the heart of Corporación MATER, because it allows us to fulfill our purpose of providing timely, quality healthcare, shortening the wait times for hundreds of children throughout Chile, as well as demonstrating the impact that collaboration can achieve.
Recently, Dr. José Manuel Escala participated as an international speaker at the 20th Ecuadorian Congress of Pediatric Surgery, held in the city of Cuenca, where he shared the experience and care model of the MATER Corporation.