Story of Matías Romo

“I never thought that something that I did not know before such as stem cells would save my son’s life”

In July 27 of 2012, little Matías received a transplant with stem cells from the umbilical cord donated to the public bank of Vidacel.

Currently, the 5 year old is recovering well after his discharge from the hospital.

Twenty four days after the transplant received by Matías Romo, his mother Viviana Torres, his family and his large network of friends were thankful to the “miracle” that allowed Matías to fight against an aggressive acute lymphoblastic leukemia that had him on the verge of death.

“Thanks to God we were able to find a match, not everyone can be that lucky” says Viviana.

“If Matías would not receive a transplant before 3 months of age, he would have died. But as miracles can happen the donation of this cord blood was a divine gift and helped Matías to survive. I always had hope that I could see him reaching adulthood”.

Originally from Frutillar, they travelled to Santiago with only one goal in mind: to save Matías’ life. During this journey a friend of the family Rodrigo Arismendi was the one who contacted Vidacel allowing little Matías to become the third successful case using a transplantation with stem cells from cord blood in Chile.

The medical director of Vidacel, Dr. Alejandro Guiloff highlights: “We can’t say no to life. This is a sign that there is hope for thousands of Matías in the world that are fighting for a cure to diseases where science is studying the use of stem cells. It fills us with joy and satisfaction to see this triumph of life”.

"After going through all that we have lived, a new world opens up for me. Today to conserve the Stem Cells is something that I would recommend with my eyes closed. What seemed like a science fiction movie is what will allow me to see Matías grow".