During his medical training in Lima, Dr. Ricardo Pun-Chong couldn’t help but notice the vast number of families sleeping on hospital floors. He soon realized these people came from the farthest reaches of Peru, with little or no money, to get their sick children the medical treatment they needed. So, in 2008, Ricardo started Inspira, a nonprofit that has given free shelter, meals, and transportation to more than 900 families so their children can comfortably stay and receive the full medical treatment they travel so far to access.
Read his story on CNN.com
Video: CNN Hero Dr. Ricardo Pun-Chong
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During his medical training in Lima, Peru, Dr. Ricardo Pun noticed the large number of families sleeping on hospital floors. He learned that those people came from the farthest reaches of Peru with little or no money to get their sick children the regular treatment they needed to survive.
In 2008, Dr. Pun started Inspira, a nonprofit that provides a second shelter including a place to sleep, meals, transportation to the hospital, hot showers, and group activities, close to INEN, Cancer Institute in Peru for moms and their children with cancer, third-degree burns, and cerebral palsy. Inspira is more than a shelter for these families. It’s a safe place for the children to be themselves with other children who are also getting regular treatments. Mothers and siblings meet others who are going through a similar situation and understand the highs and the lows.
The Municipality of Santiago de Surco granted land to Inspira to build a larger shelter. To date, Inspira has helped 900 families. Dr. Pun´s dream is to double that number in a fraction of that time, and upon completion of the new shelter, that goal will be possible!
With your donation, we will be closer to our goal of $200,000 to build the first floor of the new facility. Every dollar counts. It can be the cost of one brick, one breakfast even one hot shower. Thanks to CNN, Inspira is able to build awareness on a global level about this preventable issue parents are faced with every day.
