Illuminating monuments to inspire a country to multiply life.
Justina’s father, Ezequiel Lo Cane, writes.
“That Wednesday, July 4, 2018, when I was walking towards Congress, I felt that Justina was walking by my side. We looked at each other and smiled, we knew it was a special day, we still did not understand the magnitude of what was going to be achieved. Nine months before, November 2017, with my teams we began to listen and understand all kinds of situations, prioritizing patients and their environments, those who were waiting for a transplant, those who had received a transplant, those who had lost a loved one while waiting.
Learning from those who know more than us. Specialized medical professionals not only from Argentina, but from two leading countries in the field such as the US and Spain. Lawyers knowledgeable about the rights and obligations of a citizen. Journalists with diverse perspectives on the subject. Politicians of all colors for the legislative processes that we were going to go through.
Respecting beliefs and all positions. Religious people with roles as leaders of communities of the main faiths. And also of those who, with legal status or simply with their intentions, helped people waiting for a transplant. Of course, from the leadership of the incucai at that time, at the end of 2017 and the first half of 2018, there was a total involvement and commitment to promote this new model of donation and transplantation in Argentina.
An achievement of a community of value that began with Justina’s “Let’s help everyone we can” and continues to be nourished by ideas and actions to achieve an impact with a focus on three factors: exploring, communicating and articulating.
Only in the first year of the Justina Law, the donor rate reached 19.5 per million inhabitants, the highest in the country’s history. This figure came close for the first time to the average of the countries of the European Union, where they have the highest donor rate in the world, with 22.3 donors per million, according to data published in the latest edition of the Transplant Newsletter. In that same period, tissue donation grew by 77%, going from 551 to 979 donation processes carried out. In 2019 there were 4,510 transplants, a historical record by the Justina Law. In 2020 it was 2026, despite the pandemic, transplants were performed! And in 2021 there were 3,181 total and so far in 2022 there are 778 so far.