Today I Met…Doctor del Toro

We came away from our meeting with Dr. del Toro impressed by his generosity and incredible drive. This man, who holds double university degrees, is kept very busy with his numerous projects.

Francisco del Toro Lomeli was born in a small town in south Jalisco, La Grana, Autlan. He describes La Grana as a quiet and typical Mexican town where everybody knows each other.

“I had a really happy childhood but when I finished my elementary school there were no high schools (in his small town), so at fourteen years old I went to live by myself in Guadalajara.”

To find his way to his apartment in Guadalajara, his father drew Francisco a map.

“My father had a napkin and drew me a map…’you go to this street and take this bus…’ ”

While attending Catholic high school in Guadalajara, Francisco decided to become a priest.

“After highschool I went to the monastery for almost two years. Then I decided to serve God in a different way. That’s when I left the monastery to do surgeries.”

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The Road to Surgeon

Dr. del Toro returned to school to study medicine. After completing his studies in Guadalajara, Mexico City, Houston, Los Angeles and Chicago, focusing on orthopedic surgery, he was accepted to complete is fellowship in articular and prosthesis surgery. Two years of fellowship followed by one year specializing in spinal surgery, and the Dr’s next step was working at Hospital CMQ. That’s fourteen years of education.

Since coming to Hospital CMQ, Dr. del Toro and his team have performed numerous surgeries. His services also involve medical tourism, with many patients hailing from north of the border.

Contact Dr. del Toro’s team – 322 245 0873 http://www.orthopedicsurgerycenterpuertovallarta.com

An interesting note: the Dr.’s dedication and commitment shone through. When it came time to pass the board, there were 60 thousand doctors with only 5500 spots available. Dr. del Toro’s marks put him in the 365th place.

Dr. del Toro told us of a unique situation. “My father is an orthopedic surgeon and so is my brother and the brother of my father, my Uncle. In all of Mexico and South America we are the only family with two generations of two brothers to be Orthopedic surgeons.” Remarkable.

Today, Dr. del Toro is a member of The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.

“Embark on a journey of medical excellence with Dr. del Toro and his expert team.”

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A Degree in Architecture

As a kid, Dr. del Toro held a black-belt in Taekwondo. While attending a tournament in a large city, he was sitting in the hotel lobby and noticed how beautiful the surroundings were. That’s when he decided he’d like to become an architect! “I always had that in my mind. Five years after finishing all my (medical) training, it took four more years to get my license as an architect.”

In addition to his surgical work, Dr. del Toro now runs his own architectural firms in Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta. His day typically starts by visiting various job sites, then attending the hospital for surgeries and patient follow-up, then back to visiting architecture sites before returning home for the evening.

His architecture offices are titled “Arquitectura206”, a nod to the 206 bones in the human body.

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The Best of Times

Dr. del Toro told us, “The best hour of the day is in the morning, when the sun is rising up and I have a coffee in my hand, when you start seeing the lighting change. The best time of the day is when I am with my boys and my family, and I thank God for a productive day.”

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Giving

Dr. del Toro’s generosity was nurtured by his father, who volunteered his services for the monks at the monastery.

“When I left the monastery, my father taught me, ‘Every time you see a patient in front of you, think about how you’re going to resolve the problem and do it. You win. If you win money, you win two times. If you don’t win money, you still win.’ So all the priests in the monastery go to my father’s office and describe a problem, maybe with their knee, and he would do the surgery for free. He taught me that. And when I came here, (Vallarta) I went to the nuns and the monastery and I said I’m an orthopedic surgeon, and if one day you need me this is my card. I’m trying to do the same thing my father taught me.”

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Martin and Fiorela

Dr. del Toro has developed a special relationship with some Bucerias children.

“A patient I did surgery for texted me and said this house, Refuge of Hope, they need specialized surgery for one of the kids. They were looking for a doctor who didn’t charge them much and I said, ‘No, I’ll do it for free’. I met the patient, Martin, and I said, ‘what do you want to do?’ He said, ‘I want to play football.’ We’re still working on it.”

And just last week, the surgical team began casting Fiorela, also a child from the non-profit organization, Refuge of Hope. Fiorela’s case is a little more difficult. She will require new castings every two weeks, for anywhere between three and six months, to help straighten her foot in preparation for surgery.

Doctor del Toro, you are a true hero!