Within the framework of World Cancer Day (February 04), Movicáncer Foundation presented the awards “Hope for Life” Edition 2016. This event, held in a hotel in the capital, was attended by personalities from the business, political and academic worlds of Nicaragua with the purpose of reflecting and planning what we want to do to commit ourselves and to act for a Nicaragua with less Cancer.
This year, as in previous years, Fundación Movicáncer joined the motto of the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) “We can, I can”.
These awards are given annually to those people and institutions that selflessly and extraordinarily have contributed to making our Nicaragua a country with less Cancer. The recognized categories were: 1) Volunteering, 2) Social Commitment and Research; and 3) Scientific and Technological Development.
In the “volunteer” category, the following were awarded: The Sisters of the Congregation Amistad Missionaries of Christ the Worker (AMICO), of Jesuit origin, for their support of children with Cancer and Blood diseases who are treated at the Manuel Children’s Hospital de Jesús Rivera “La Mascota” who manage the shelter house where parents and children who come from the interior of the country stay. Beyond ensuring accommodation and food for parents and children with cancer, they provide psychological and spiritual support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Another recognized category was that of “Social Commitment” awarded to Dr. Fulgencio Báez Lacayo, who for 48 years has been at the service of Nicaraguans, first as a Physician and Surgeon and then as a Specialist in Pediatric Oncology. Dr. Báez was the founding Head of the Department of Hemato-Oncology at the Children’s Hospital “La Mascota” for 29 years and founding promoter of the Central American Association of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology (AHOPCA), which contributed to standardizing the treatment of Pediatric Cancer in the region. He is the publisher and director of more than 41 clinical and epidemiological investigations on childhood cancer published nationally and internationally and a mandatory reference for current and training physicians. Tireless social leader in the fight against cancer, co-founder of the Nicaraguan Commission to Help Children with Cancer (CONANCA), an organization that has saved the lives of more than 1,800 children who are now incorporated into the economic development of Nicaragua.
And in the last category “Scientific Development” Dr. Reina Palacios González and Dr. Oscar Danilo Fonseca were honored. Dr. Palacios was awarded recognition for her 31 years of dedication to research and teaching. Her research on various topics related to pathology is mandatory consultation for doctors and students of medicine and pathology. One of his most recent investigations carried out in 2014 and of which he was the leader for Nicaragua, the multicenter study: Multi level characterization of host and pathogen in Helicobacter Pylori associated with gastric carcinogenesis, sponsored by the University of Gothenburg has allowed us to better understand the relationship between gastric cancer and the presence of high-risk H. Pylori that will support the implementation of new and better protocols for early detection of this type of cancer.
In the case of Dr. Fonseca, he was given a well-deserved tribute for 49 years of dedication to cancer medicine in Nicaragua. He introduced novel techniques in oncological surgery in Nicaragua. In addition, he was the teacher of 32 classes of doctors and 30 classes of specialists in general surgery at the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAN-LEÓN). For his dedication to training new doctors who now take care of the people’s health, he has received valuable national recognition: “Teacher of Teachers” by UNAN and the Medical Society of León. The Nicaraguan Association of General Surgery for his “valuable educational work in the training of surgeons in Nicaragua” and UNAN-LEÓN gave him the TITLE of “Dean Emeritus of the Faculty of Medical Sciences” among other recognitions.
It should be noted that this year, Movicáncer presented for the first time two new educational Spots on the importance of taking measures to reduce the risk of developing cancer and that are available through the Movicáncer channel on youtube.com
The delivery of these awards was possible thanks to the generous contributions of ASOFARMA Central America and the Caribbean in Nicaragua, the CLARO Communications company and ARDISA.
From now on we congratulate the honorees and thank them for contributing to a Nicaragua with less Cancer!
