The Nicaraguan doctor Darwin Jiménez is fighting for his life in Mexico

In 2019, Dr. Darwin Jiménez, 30, moved to Mexico to specialize in kidney transplantation. A year later, he got infected with Covid-19 and now, as his lungs stopped working, his colleagues and friends are in charge of keeping him alive.

Jiménez is the son of two artisans from Masaya who, thanks to their business, were able to provide him with primary and secondary education, until he received a scholarship to study medicine at UNAN-Managua.

His father, Juan Jose Jiménez, told CONFIDENCIAL that during that time, they made twice the effort in order to support their son financially as he studied. They had a stroke of luck while they were selling their products at the Microfer fair when a Canadian client placed an order to export to her country, which allowed them to help pay for university.

“We would find the books and clothes that he needed to study. There were times when we spoke on the phone and he was at the university blocks, at night, doing work”, his father recalls.

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Darwin Jiménez finished his medical studies, did social service in Río San Juan, and his residency at the Manolo Morales Hospital, in Managua, along with Dr. Greta Huete, who today is in charge of receiving updates on his health status and sharing them on social media at the request of his parents.

To travel to Mexico to do his specialization, Darwin sold his vehicle. His father says that the two-year trip cost about $ 20,000 and it seemed impossible to pay that amount to continue his studies, but in the end, they managed to get the money together and he traveled.

The beginning of his illness

Huete shares that Darwin was studying at the Juárez Hospital located in Mexico City, one of the hospitals designated as a “Covid hospital”, where patients who were infected with the disease were treated after the start of the pandemic.

“We would call each other, and at that time, I called him and asked, how are you? And he told me: ‘Dad, I’m short of breath, I can’t breathe”, says Darwin’s father before breaking down to cry.

Juan Jose says that he felt “sadness” at that moment, because he had also contracted Covid, and received treatment at the Rivas Hospital, where he later managed to recover.

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This is how the Nicaraguan doctor’s ordeal began, as his situation quickly worsened and he had to be intubated at the same hospital where he was studying, according to Dr. Huete.

His parents were told to travel to Mexico immediately when they intubated him, but they did not have the money for the trip, so Huete, who is also a friend of Darwin’s, helped to raise money together with other friends in order to pay for flights, and they were able to travel from San Juan de Oriente to Mexico City.

The trip was scheduled and they left three days later, Juan Jose says that this was made possible thanks to the fact that the Mexican Embassy issued visas for them very quickly.

A germ affected his lungs

As a consequence of Covid-19, Darwin’s lungs were left vulnerable and when this happens, a bacterial infection is more likely to happen. Unfortunately, a multi-resistant germ affected his lungs and aggravated his situation.

“Covid caused lung damage and left the lung vulnerable, leaving it fragile for any opportunistic germ to infect it. In his case, (Darwin) was infected by a germ that is multi-resistant, it cannot be treated with any antibiotic. It was sensitive to only one antibiotic, but these tests are done in vitro and sometimes it does not give the same results in vivo in the patient”, explained Dr. Huete.

As he did not show results, Darwin had to be transferred to the Ignacio Chavez National Cardiology Institute on September 15. His situation worsened, so they began another treatment called Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (EMOC, for its acronym in English).

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This treatment is described as a very complex procedure that Dr. Huete compares to dialysis. What this treatment does is that it puts the lungs to rest so that they do not continue to function, thus allowing them to recover from their injuries, while oxygenating the blood through a special membrane that returns the oxygenated blood to the body.

However, the treatment is not working as it should, and according to Huete, the hope for his recovery dwindles as more time passes. “We are preparing for the worst”, she laments.

Although it is unknown where he was infected, Dr. Huete believes that it could have been anywhere in Mexico City, but there are also suspicions that it could have been in the Juarez Hospital itself, although that could not be determined.

Procedures for his return

His parents were advised to prepare for the worst possible scenario: Darwin's death. Juan José says that preparations have already been made with the Nicaraguan Embassy in Mexico and that everything is ready.

However, Covid protocols in Mexico do not allow the deportation of a body, so it would be cremated in a funeral home and his remains would later travel to Nicaragua.

Darwin’s parents are hopeful that he will get better. They have only seen him twice since they arrived in Mexico because the hospital does not allow them to enter frequently.

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“The doctors wait for the lungs to react and go back to work. We are just waiting” says Juan José, sorrowful, as they wait for the phone call that gives them news of their son every day, clinging to the hope that the news will finally be positive.

But the therapy is not working as it should, and according to Huete, at this point, the hopes of his recovery are diluted as more time passes, "we are preparing for the worst," he laments.

Although it is unknown where it was infected, Dr. Huete believes that it could have been anywhere in Mexico City, but there are also suspicions that it could be in the Juarez Hospital itself, although that could not be determined.

This article has been translated by Ana Maria Sampson, a Communication Science student at the University of Amsterdam and member of our staff*