At 12 o’clock noon, while the rest of the Christian Catholics are at their last hour of shopping, doña Margarita, María, Luis Felipe and Juan Pablo arrived at the CARDI, in order to serve food and to join for lunch the families of the persons confined in the hospitals of Siglo XXI and Federico Gómez, together with a group of CARDI volunteers and the Augustinian Recollects.
Fray Javier Acero, president of the CARDI and prior of the Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe of the Hospitals, received them at the entrance and led them to the hall, in which Lalo Carbadillo, head coordinator of CARDI services, started already the dynamics of interaction among the volunteers and beneficiaries. Doña Margarita and her children immediately joined in the activity; they participated in the initial presentation by introducing their names and presenting themselves as volunteers. Immediately after, Lalo, proposed to the group of 50 person, to put themselves in pairs and to listen to each other on how were they this year and what they wish for the coming year. The last activity was the act of touching each other’s hands and making each other feel that they are accepted and valued. In each activity, doña Margarita and her children would change partner as the rest, having the opportunity to share directly with three different persons.
Volunteers
The simplicity and amiableness of the family of don Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, president of the country are so notable. Doña Margarita is known to be a sober, prudent, generous and intelligent woman. When they entered the refectory, Doña Margarita and her children immediately started serving the noodle soup, chicken and rice, with the typical corn tortillas. There were cake and coffee as well. They were so quick in attending to these persons who only in CARDI are able to find the necessary help to keep their health and to take care of their sick.
At the end of the meal, Margarita Zavala, takes note of all the solicitation that she received from persons who approached her. Not in any moment, she felt burdened in giving attention to the people; on the contrary, she was seen to be very compassionate, positive and serviceable.
The children of Margarita also help in the distribution of toys that CARDI had prepared for those present who are mostly fathers of family, with sick child, confined in one of the three hospitals.
Testimonies
Among the persons who gave testimony are: Esperenza Cisneros, from Naucalpan, state of Mexico, whose daughter has been confined for two years already; Lucía Pascual Martínez, of Pachuca, who has been in the hospital for seven months already; Arturo Ventura, of Michoacán, who is sick of cancer; Belén, also from Michoacán, who has a baby confined for a month. Her husband brought with him their other 3 healthy children to spend Christmas with their mother in CARDI and in a lodging of the city, while he takes care of the baby during the Christmas eve.
These are all cases of persons in extreme poverty, not being able to work because of hospitalization, lack of medication and food, without any resources for the daily room charge in the hospitals, payment for their hospitalization bills, and any orientation in the process of recovery. Doña Margarita Zavala came to know all this, who offered help with serenity and trust. At the end of her visit, she thanked the Augustinian Recollect friars “for this work, and for the opportunity that they give us all to alleviate what is most possible in adversity and give it a meaning in life.”