Help a mom to access dialysis by leaving Venezuela

Hi! My name is Karla Sanchez. I'm a 23-year-old journalist from Venezuela living in Cuenca, Ecuador. My mother, Romelia Arismendi, a 50-year-old lawyer, had a kidney transplant in 2000. She was doing well for close to 17 years, but because of a lack of medicine in the country, she was forced to return to dialysis treatment. Due to the inhumane situation in Venezuela, patients who depend on this treatment live a “death sentence" since there's no medical means for treatment. I want to bring my mother to Ecuador and sign her into the social security system. In order to do that, we must first obtain a visa and documentation. Meanwhile back in Venezuela, my mother needs to be in a private dialysis center three days a week. This costs $89 per day. So I am requesting help to cover these expenses.

Your donations will also cover plane tickets, the visa, an iron supplement and Erythropoietin which is injected while undergoing dialysis.

Why don’t we get the visa from Venezuela to cut time and expenses?

I tried. I went to the consulate in Caracas and they told me they couldn’t process the visa from there. It is not like if you were in US or Canada.

Why am I so sure she’ll get a visa?

My mother qualifies for the “amparo” or legal protection that my son bestows her because he’s Ecuadorian.

Do the public health services in Ecuador offer dialysis for free?

Yes, they do. However, for foreigners without papers, it is only for emergencies and then only once or twice. That's what the zonal coordinator of the health ministry told me. Once my mom gets the visa, she would set up an appointment with a physician, be referred to a specialist, and receive free dialysis treatment. The health ministry official said that can take from several weeks up to a few months and there’s no way to know the exact time frame.The waiting time is even longer for the public health system known as IESS!

Sadly, my mother does not have the luxury of time. If you can spare a small donation, it adds up and we would be so very grateful for your generosity.

* I'm not saying the Heath services in Cuenca doesn't work. I have used it several times and they are really helpfull. (There's not point of comparison with the Venezuelan health services) But, it takes a long time. Time which my mom or other chronic patients, don't have.

Hola! Mi nombre es Karla Sánchez. Soy una periodista Venezolana de 23 años que vive en Cuenca, Ecuador. Mi madre, Romelia Arismendi (Abogado de 50 años) tuvo un trasplante renal en el año 2000. Ella estuvo muy bien durante 17 años pero debido a la falta de medicinas en el país, volvió a caer en diálisis. Debido a la difícil situación en Venezuela, los pacientes que dependen de estos tratamientos para vivir tienen una "Sentencia de Muerte" porque no hay materiales o medicinas para cumplir con los tratamientos. Yo quisiera traer a mi madre a Ecuador e inscribirla en el Seguro Social pero para poder hacerlo, se debe cumplir un periodo de tiempo, además de obtener la visa y otros documentos. Mientras tanto, ella necesita cumplir su tratamiento en una clínica de diálisis privada, tres veces a la semana. Cada día de diálisis cuesta $89. Por eso pido tu ayuda, en estos gastos.