Nearly 20 years ago, Ignacio Holtz was suffering from chronic kidney disease and in need of a transplant. His wife, Beatrice, made the lifesaving donation of a healthy kidney. When he joined a Rotary club a few years later, he talked with fellow members about how to help less fortunate patients in the same situation. Working with the Heart 2 Heart program, a decade long collaboration among clubs in Mexico and the United States, Hottz led efforts to provide 10 disadvantaged young people with kidney transplants. The program has since saved more than 500 lives, with the help from six global grants from The Rotary Foundation and matching funds from a local nonprofit. Holtz and members of his club work with local hospitals to screen potential donors and ricipients, negotiate rates, and offer logistical support to participating families.
The inspiring stories of recovered patients motivated Holtz to keep going. Holtz is still in touch with the first patient they helped, then a 15-year old girl whose uncle donated a kidney to keep her alive. The project covered the fees for the operations and today she is the healthy mother of a young daughter. "It took me some time to discover the miracles that Rotary can achieve. By multiplying what we give, The Rotary Foundation gives us the opportunity to make a better world," says Holtz.
Your continued support of the Rotary Foundation enables such things to happen, Thank you.
