Our organization started with a dream of a young Bolivian mother in dialysis. Mayerline Flores Marraccini “ Mayita” wanted to make a difference in the lives of the low income Bolivians. She gathered some family and friends and together they founded The Bolivian Dialysis Assistance League BDAL to “Save on life at a time”. She came to California at the age of 16 where she started her dialysis treatment; this life saving treatment would have been out of reach in her native Bolivia. She came to the United States and was diagnosed with Wegener’s disease. Wegener's Granulomatosis (WG) is an uncommon disease that affects about 1 in 20,000 to 1 in 30,000 people. For Mayerline's case it affected her kidneys.
She lived a life full of challenges and good times although between dialysis treatments she was weak and deeply weary but rarely let herself get discouraged. She was a very energetic person who loved helping others and just being a mom to her son Cristiani, the love of her life. Unfortunately after a constant battle for her life Mayita closed her eyes on July 28, 2007; her perseverance, fighting spirit and the love of life and family now lives with us to keep her dream alive and make it a reality.
