This week, Nariz Roja inaugurated Casa Darinka, the charity’s third shelter in the Guadalajara metropolitan area for children undergoing cancer treatment.
Located in Guadalajara’s Independencia neighborhood, the shelter is named after Darinka, a young girl who lost her battle with the disease. Her mother, Susana Díaz, said it was one of her daughter’s “biggest dreams” to have a place where children suffering from any type of cancer could be cared for.
Nariz Roja’s three shelters can accommodate up to 30 children, along with their parents or caregivers, from across western Mexico. Most of these children are receiving treatment at the city’s public New Civil Hospital.
At the inauguration ceremony, Nariz Roja President Alejandro Barbosa praised the Jalisco government for its “good will and good work” over the past six years in supporting children with cancer. These efforts include the complete transformation of the pediatric oncology area—now spanning two floors—at the New Civil Hospital, as well as the enactment of laws guaranteeing free treatment for children and youths with cancer. Later this year, the Regional Cancer Institute—one of the first of its kind in Mexico, with 260 beds and a variety of specialized ancillary features—will open in Zapopan’s Colonia Miramar.
During the event, Governor Enrique Alfaro criticized the federal government for its “lack of interest” in addressing cancer cases across the country, especially those affecting children, and expressed concern over the shortage of vital medications.