The presence of transplant patients and their family members has marked the celebration of the 30 years of the first liver transplant at the Children and Adolescent’s Institute (ICr) of HCFMUSP. A video showing several patients and their gratitude messages to the ICr staff, exhibited at the end of the ceremony, has moved the public present at the ICr Amphitheater, on October 16^th. The ceremony has also marked the Doctor’s Day, celebrated in Brazil on October 18^th.

The hepatic transplant program, initiated at the ICr in 1989, has reached the mark of 850 hepatic transplants for patients with terminal diseases, which meant a new prospect of life for children otherwise doomed to death in a short period of time.

“Our hepatic transplant program has established a production of 60 scientific works, all published in high impact international journals. This was our interface with the University and the science, which allowed us to give our best to the society. This is a party for life and for our work”. Says Prof. Uenis Tannuri, Head of the Pediatric Surgery Service of ICr.

The Head of the Pediatrics Department of FMUSP, Prof. Vicente Odone Filho has opened the ceremony, highlighting the importance of the involvement of professionals from several specialties. “This is such a complex area and it reached notable rates. It’s an honor to live daily with such a notable group of specialists from this House”, he says.

The vice-director of FMUSP, Prof. Roger Chammas, representing the college director, Prof. Tarcisio Eloy Pessoa de Barros Filho, has highlighted the mission of the unities associated with the Cllínicas Complex. “It’s fabulous to see these units are fully meeting their calling for assistance and using it as a vector for teaching, research and innovation, and so they end up touching the life of many”, he says.

The following authorities were part of the ceremony: the pro-rector of undergraduation of USP and Titular Professor of the Gynecology Discipline of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of FMUSP, Prof. Edmund Baracat, representing the Dean of the Universidade de São Paulo, Vahan Agopyan; Dr. Elisabeth de Faria, Head of Office of HCFMUSP, representing the engineering Antônio José Rodrigues Pereira, superintendent of HCFMSP.

By the end of the event, a letter of one of the transplant patients was read and some of the former patients were called to give a statement and tell their stories. The tributes ended with the exhibition of a video and the execution of a series of children’s music, in honor of the ICr children.