Heroes for Life at the Anáhuac del Norte University

The 2018 Health Week was held at the Anáhuac del Norte University in Mexico City from March 20 to 23, where this prestigious University was invited to participate in the Heroes for Life (Héroes por la Vida) program of the Carlos Slim Foundation (CSF).

Ms. Vanessa Slim, a spokeswoman for Heroes for Life, participated in the opening ceremony along with Dr. Cipriano Sánchez García, Rector of Anahuac University.

The documentary ‘Cadena de Vida’ (Chain of Life), produced by Lab101 with the support of CSF, was presented at the opening ceremony. The documentary tells the case of four people suffering from chronic renal failure; and although each one had a donor, they were not compatible. Thanks to an algorithm developed by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), as well as to the work of more than 70 specialists of the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition ‘Salvador Zubirán’, it was possible to carry out the first chain of transplants in Mexico. ‘Cadena de Vida’ shows the story of this chain of transplants involving 4 recipients and their 4 donors; the 4 non-matching pairs were mixed and matched so the 4 recipients could receive a compatible organ from one of the donors and survive.

The documentary was screened all the week at different times, and a poster exhibition with interesting data on donation and organ transplants in Mexico was set up, including the Heroes for Life dissemination campaigns.

Since its creation in 1986, Carlos Slim Foundation created the Kidney Health and Transplantation Program to promote the prevention of chronic renal failure, promote the culture of organ donation, and support organ procurement and performance of transplants, all through pertnerships with state governments, national health institutes, hospitals and civil society organizations.

Actions supported by Heroes for Life, which is a campaign that promotes organs and tissues donation for transplants, seeks to raise awareness and inform the population about the importance and significance of organ donation and its goal is that every day there are more donors, so that people who are waiting can be transplanted.