Name: Juan Carlos Aldave
When did you start working with the JMF? On December 2011 I evaluated a 2-month-old girl with severe mucocutaneous candidiasis. Her name was Sami Toro. At that time my career in PID was not yet initiated, so I did not know how to help the baby. Then, I contacted Vicki Modell by email. She suggested me to contact Dr. Antonio Condino, who referred me to Dr. Jacinta Bustamante, Dr. Anne Puel and Dr. Jean-Laurent Casanova (Paris, France). Some months later, they found a gain-of-funcion STAT1 mutation. This patient settled the initiation of our PID work and my PID career. JMF had an essential participation in this wonderful story.
Profession and Location: Medical Doctor, Allergist and Clinical Immunologist, Hospital Nacional Edgardo Rebagiati Martins, Lima, Peru
What inspires you? The smile of our little patients. The trust and hope of their parents.
The support of JMF and every professor that has helped us for genetic and molecular studies (Dr. Luigi Notarangelo, Dr. Steven Holland, Dr. Troy Torgerson, Dr. Hans Ochs, Dr. Talal Chatila, Dr. Jordan Orange, Dr. Lisa Forbes, Dr. James Lupski, Dr. Anne Durandy, Dr. Jean-Laurent Casanova, Dr. Jacinta Bustamante, Dr. Anne Puel, Dr. Bodo Grimbacher, Dr. Antonio Condino, Dr. Shigeaki Nonoyama, Dr. Bobby Gaspar, Dr. Amos Etzioni, Dr. Jean Donadieu, Dr. Fabian Hauck, Dr. Klaus Warnatz, Dr. Millo Seppanen, Dr. Kate Sullivan, Dr. Francisco Bonilla, Dr. James Verbski, and their wonderful teams).
What aspect of JMF do you find most special? Their love to PID patients. Their wonderful organization.
What’s your favorite JMF memory? The first e-mail that Vicki sent me, with the precise counsel for us to help Sami Toro. This baby started my PID career.
Favorite Expression: Every day is a new journey to improve PID work in Peru.
To Sum Up! I am honored to be part of the JMF team. It is a privilege to receive such support. The improvement of PID children makes me feel happy and useful. I love teaching about Immunology in a simple and funny way. I love playing soccer. My family (parents, brother and sister) gives me a lot of support. I strongly believe in God’s love and power.