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.