Corazón y Vida Association

The Corazón y Vida Association of the Canary Islands is a non-profit association that brings together parents, relatives and friends of patients with congenital heart disease and other pathologies.

One of the main objectives of Corazón y Vida is to help pediatric cardiology services in the specialist hospitals, in the Canary Islands, to have sufficient human, technical and material resources so that they can properly develop their work.

If they have the appropriate means, they can collaborate in the investigation and study of heart disease, know its causes and and they can train in prevention and treatment, both in childhood, youth and in adulthood.

Another objective of the association is to ensure that children and young people with congenital heart disease have the support of qualified personnel (physiotherapists, speech therapists, psychologists, pedagogues, etc.) necessary to achieve the highest quality of life.

Also, and no less important, it is to be able to give help to the affected families in all that is necessary and, above all, in cases where it is essential to move away from their habitual residence. They will be provided with a residence floor in Madrid or Santa Cruz de Tenerife, so that patients receive their medical treatment at the nearest hospital.

Its objectives are:

• To provide comprehensive care to people with congenital heart disease, their families and the professionals involved in their different stages of development.
• Facilitate and promote projects and integration services to those affected by congenital heart disease in different areas of society (educational, work, family ...).
• Inform, spread and sensitize society about congenital heart disease.
• Facilitate and promote research initiatives on congenital heart disease.

Projects

Renting two appartments, one in Madrid and another in Tenerife to provide accommodation and support to families living in both communities

The association Corazón y Vida helps families, who reside in the Canary Islands, from the moment they are informed that their family member suffers from a disease, which cannot be treated in their hospital of residence, and therefore, need to be transferred, in many cases, as a matter of urgency, to Santa Cruz de Tenerife or Madrid. Likewise, help is given to all families who request it even if they are not residents in the Canary Islands.

A high percentage of these families have to travel to a city they do not know. They are totally disoriented, they do not know where to stay, how to get to the hospitals ... not forgetting the subject of food, transportation, economic expenses, which in many occasions they find very difficult to cover, since in many of the cases, these families come from disadvantaged economic situation.

With this project and with the intention of helping them solve part of the problem, the Adrián Hoteles Foundation has made available to the Corazón y Vida association, two flats, one in Tenerife and one in Madrid, paying the rent, supplies and maintenance, as well as hiring a speech therapist, pedagogue and psychologist. In this way, families can stay and even prepare their food since they have all the equipment and facilities. They can live in harmony and without any need from the time they arrive until they leave. In addition, the association has a number of support staff that will be in continuous contact with those affected.

The psychologist is present in almost all the process through which the patient passes. From the wait, to the intervention, transplant, treatment and unfortunately some will not surpass the treatments. This is where the role of the psychologist becomes essential and unquestionable.