Venezuela Pediatric Transplant
Ariana Cubillos, Associated Press, Venezuela
I was covering a protest held by mothers of children waiting for an organ transplant this past August to draw the attention of the Venezuelan Government to help them. I heard those mothers’ stories and what they go through to keep their children alive, while they wait for an organ transplant. I expressed my interest in telling their stories through the lens of my camera to let others know about it. I had the opportunity to photograph some of those mothers in their difficult daily life as their children wait for an organ transplant and the sadness for the ones who did not have a chance and died. These poor Venezuelan children have not received transplants since 2017. Dozens of children have died, including 25 kids in 2021, according to an organization handling this issue. In June 2017, health officials told the country’s 14 transplant centers that they would be closed for three months to resolve a medication-related issue and remains shut to this day.