Felipe is the youngest son of a family of seven raised in Cardenas Tabasco, Mexico.
They were a poor but hard working family surviving on earnings from the farming of cocoa and sugar cane. All the children laboured hard to help with the work but income was meagre and not enough to sustain the family. There was never enough to eat and Felipe was malnourished and severely under-developed. The Sisters met Felipe on a number of occasions during their community work but finally in 2003 they were able to offer him a place at the Boystown school in Guadalajara. He says it was ‘without a doubt, the best stage in my life’. He worked incredibly hard at school, absorbed everything he was taught. He says “I learned the value of hard work, self-discipline and honesty”.
In 2008 he graduated from our school and secured a place at technical college. In 2012, he transferred to Veracruz State to study for a Medical degree at Cristobal University and in 2018 he graduated into an internship at General Hospital No 71 Lic Benito Coquet Lagunes which he finished in 2019. Today he is Director of the Health Department in Tecolutla, Veracruz, coordinating health care for the most disadvantaged citizens of remote villages. The covid 19 pandemic was a challenging time for him serving on the front line of care in this country.
In the future he wants to specialise in paediatrics and continue his work serving those most in need. In his own words he says “ thank you for transforming the lives of the most vulnerable in our country.”