U.S. Donor Saves Lives in Mexico With Organ Gift

Cancún, Quintana Roo — A 44-year-old U.S. citizen vacationing in Quintana Roo became a lifeline for multiple Mexican patients after his organs were donated following his death. The Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) in Quintana Roo successfully carried out a historic multi-organ procurement, marking a rare cross-border act of medical solidarity.

A Selfless Decision Amid Tragedy

The American national, whose identity was not disclosed, was hospitalized at a private medical facility in Cancún after suffering a neurological-vascular condition. When his condition failed to improve, his wife honored his wish to donate his organs, triggering the activation of the "Code Life" protocol.

Authorities from IMSS Quintana Roo and the Health Sector coordinated the procedure, designating specialists from the General Regional Hospital No. 17 in Cancún—a facility licensed for organ and tissue procurement—to extract the organs. The donation included two kidneys, two corneas, skin, and bone tissue.

Cross-State Collaboration Saves Lives

The intervention was made possible through collaboration with the High Specialty Medical Unit (UMAE) of the Pediatric Hospital at the National Medical Center Occidente in Guadalajara, Jalisco. A multidisciplinary team led by Dr. Daniel Nuño Díaz facilitated the kidney procurement.

"Specialists at the IMSS hospital in Cancún procured two corneas, which were sent to the Cornea Tissue Bank at the UMAE Hospital General 'Dr. Gaudencio González Garza' of the National Medical Center La Raza. Additionally, skin and bone tissue were secured and sent to the Tissue Bank in the State of Mexico," IMSS stated in an official release.

This marked the second multi-organ procurement in Quintana Roo this year and prioritized a 17-year-old patient in Jalisco urgently in need of a kidney transplant.

A Call for Organ Donation Awareness

Dr. Javier Michael Naranjo García, head of IMSS in Quintana Roo, emphasized the importance of discussing organ donation within families to ensure individuals' wishes are respected. The institute encouraged the public to register as voluntary donors through official government portals: CENATRA or IMSS Organ Donation.

The case underscores the life-saving potential of organ donation, transcending national borders to offer hope to those in critical need.