LPCC NEWS

The situation was critical, since his office could not cope, since in only 3 months, the anti-cancer clinic had already admitted 56 cases. Faced with this, the League signed a contract with Dr. Manuel Díaz García, who offered his facilities at his clinic, located at Parada 19 (in front of the Paramount Theater, currently Pavia Hospital), and on September 12, 1939, the first anti-cancer center in Puerto Rico was established.

In June of that same year, campaign activities began divided into two main areas: an educational campaign by the Technical Government Board and the other focused on economics by the Ladies Committee. The results obtained had a significant impact on our society, which caused a mobilization of people to receive guidance and treatment on the condition. La Liga (The League) did not expect this mobilization and was not really prepared. Dr. González made his personal work and the facilities of his private office, which was located on Calle Tetuán in Old San Juan, available. In that same year, he was a graduate of the American Board from Radiology and was designated a "Fellow" of the American College of Radiology.

The first Committee was established on May 29, 1938 in the town of Guayama.

At the second meeting held on April 30, the Regulations were approved and Dr. Isaac González Martínez was appointed President. The organizational structure of the League had a Supreme Council and a Technical Board of Government. In addition, they had a Ladies Committee as a support body, responsible for the propaganda campaign to raise funds. With the objective of covering the entire island, they established a series of Regional Committees in different towns to give continuity to the work of the League.

On March 22, 1938, the first meeting of the Puerto Rican League Against Cancer, sponsored by the Medical Association of Puerto Rico, was held. Through this organization, it was able to instill its mission of being able to attend cancer cases for people of scarce economic resources, making viable an education plan for the people oriented towards prevention.

In 1938 he participated in the VI Floating Congress of the Pan American Medical Association in Havana, Cuba, where he presented a scientific article on the permanent cure of uterine cervical cancer, again achieving international recognition and projection. He visited the Cancer Institute, the Radium Institute, the Mercedes Hospital, the National Anticancer Association and the League Against Cancer of Cuba (1925-1959). Dr. Gonzalez was impressed by the organizational model used, which consists of a non-profit organization based on volunteerism accompanied by an action plan for public relations, education and fundraising. That is when he decided to implement the same system in Puerto Rico.

Upon his return to Puerto Rico, he meets with key people, a group composed of: Mrs. Jane Nicole de Mariani, Mrs. María M. de Pérez Almiroty, Mrs. Marcolina M. de Fernández Náter, Rafael Cuevas Zequeira, Jorge L. Córdova, Dr. J. C. Ferrer, Dr. J. H. Fond and Jorge del Toro, as well as other people of high civic spirit.