Transforming the lives of rheumatic patients

During these past months, 81 low-income rheumatic patients received support from Fundacion Maritere to cover expenses for medical treatment and diagnosis. Two of them were supported to get medical testing to diagnose the specific kind of rheumatic disease they have got. This is very important because in Mexico, few low income patients can get access to this kind of studies and lose very much time to get a specific diagnosis, which prolongs the illness and its syntoms. Through this support, patients are able to start improving their quality of life, by reducing pain, gaining movement, gaining strength and faith. Thus, they improve emotionally too. The cost of this attention is valued in more than 5,000 USD.  

During this time, Fundacion Maritere has supported 68 active patients through physiotherapy.  Our institution has faced a huge challenge vis a vis the pandemic, since most of our work has to be face to face with patients and given the situation, many of them had to stop attending their physiotherapy sessions. However, this year we have managed to receive patients again, with all due restrictions and safety measures. Patients that attend physiotherapy present 5 different kinds of rheumatic diseases, being arthritis the most common one (most patients are women). After months of being treated, there are some results worth sharing: 82% of patients have referred complete vanishment of pain after treatment; 88% of patients gained mobility of more than 50% of initial mobility (previous to treatment); complete independence of patients in their daily life, moved 24% from the beginning to the end of treatment. All of the previous translates in a better quality of life, which is what matters the most for Fundacion Maritere.