San Antonio students aim to raise $500,000 to save the life of Adrian Flores-Saucedo

They started out a small group of students from San Antonio universities coming together regularly to pray for the world around them, now 25 members of the St. Matthew's Catholic Church prayer group Oriens have embarked on a more challenging mission, a humanitarian effort to try and raise $500,000 to save the life of Adrian Flores-Saucedo, a seven-year-old boy from Piedras Negras, Mexico in desperate need of a heart transplant.

Leading The University of Texas at San Antonio's (UTSA) efforts are Kengi Sei, a 25-year-old graduate student, Rafael Veraza, a 21-year-old junior pre-med biology major and Karla Allala, a 22-year-old senior communications major, and employee in the Vice Provosts Office at the UTSA Downtown Campus. Sei and Veraza are both neurobiology researchers in the laboratory of UTSA Biology Professor Edwin Barea-Rodriguez.

“I'm really proud of them, it's unbelievable and I hope that more students learn about this and take similar steps in helping others,” said Barea-Rodriguez. “You know there's a point in life where you move from being successful to significant and I think that both of them have shown that.”

Sei learned about Adrian' s cardiomyopathic condition from his mother in Piedras Negras, Mexico after Adrian's grandmother, who works for the family, informed her of Adrian's weak heart. Medical facilities in the area were unequipped to treat Adrian, so thanks to a lot of hard work of family and friends in Piedras Negras, Adrian was transported to Methodist Children's Hospital in San Antonio as a charity case.

Upon examination, doctors determined that Adrian's condition had progressed so much, that only a new heart would save his life. Now the problem would be how to raise the money and how to locate a surgeon and hospital where a heart transplantation could take place.

“We're considering different hospitals that will accept Adrian, now we are trying to find a doctor to perform the surgery and the money to pay for it,” said Sei.

Since February, the student group has been traveling all over San Antonio, distributing flyers, telling residents the story of Adrian's battle and asking for their support. The donations started coming in, including a $10,000 contribution from George and Florence Schulgen of Kerrville. But time was running out and more money needed to be raised.

The group brainstormed again and remembered that former Mexican President Vicente Fox was coming to town to speak at Trinity University and could serve as a tremendous resource to have on board if they could get their message across to him.

With all their university connections, the members were able to get an impassioned letter from Adrian's mother to Fox and his wife Marta. After reading the letter and hearing about the students efforts, the former first lady of Mexico joined in and has been assisting the students in their cause.

“Right away she told us she could help with this, then she picked up her phone and started calling doctors and governmental officials in Mexico to make them aware of the situation,” said Veraza.

As the students waited on her calls, her husband Vicente Fox went to deliver his address to the Trinity crowd and the students exchanged phone numbers with Marta Fox as they left the campus.

“We went out to distribute more flyers outside to the people leaving the auditorium and were surprised to learn from the media that President Fox mentioned Adrian in his speech that night,” said Veraza.

Since the mention in Fox's address, Sei and Veraza have been flooded with phone calls from concerned citizens and media from San Antonio and Mexico requesting interviews of the members in their humanitarian effort.

“I have not slept more than four hours a night over the last two weeks,” said Sei. “Our members are rotating in shifts to stay with Adrian and his mother Lizette in the hospital, in between classes and the research work we're doing in the laboratories.”

Fortunately, more assistance is coming to their aid. The 150 member UTSA Hispanic Students Association has become involved and the government in Coahuila, Mexico and large corporations are also conducting fundraising efforts for Adrian Saucedo.

“I think Adrian is a shining example to all of us, the way he is fighting for his life, the way he comes back, fighting and smiling, that gives us the faith to do this, and I'm proud to be his friend,” said Veraza.

“Once you meet Adrian, you see he's a very nice boy who may not understand all the money issues involved in his case,” said Sei. “We are trying to keep his spirits up. I gave him a video game and it made him the happiest boy in the world.”

Group fundraising members include Ashleen Kelly, a 21-year-old political science major at Trinity University, Lauri Revilla, a 23-year-old psychology major from the University of Texas at Brownsville and Alejandra Gonzalez, a 22-year-old communications major at San Antonio College.

If you'd like to make a contribution, donations to the “Adrian Needs a Heart” fund can be made at any Wells Fargo Bank in San Antonio.