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But this morning just after 9:00 am, his fight ended very suddenly when he died from what is believed to be a heart attack. Collet Montejo from Belize Healthcare Partners was close to Cruz and saw him just yesterday when he came down to the hospital for a bleeding ear:….

Collet Montejo, Belize Healthcare Partners
"Mr. Cruz calls me yesterday morning complaining about having some problem with his ears, so I advise him to come and see Dr. Cob. He did that and we travel back to San Ignacio yesterday, he was of high spirit, looking pretty good, doing well so it was truly a shocker this morning when they call me and told me that he was having some problems."

Monica Bodden
"Do you believe that it might have been a heart attack that Mr. Cruz actually caught?"

Collet Montejo, Belize Healthcare Partners
"Yeah, I suspect that it is a heart attack, that's what his wife is also suspecting. Whether or not that was the case an autopsy will be done but I believe that it was a heart attack that he had."

Monica Bodden
"You had a chance to speak with Minelli, was he complaining before he passed away or what was it?"

Collet Montejo, Belize Healthcare Partners
"According to Minelli he didn't rest well last night, he was complaining about pain in his back and then he started vomiting in the early hours this morning and then he requested that she takes him over to his grandmother for her to ''noint his back" which she was doing when he pass."

And while his sudden death is news - Cruz's contribution cannot be overlooked. It is fair to say that the plight of persons living with renal failure has been thrust into the center of the national dialogue through his relentless efforts. Cruz had the courage to call out private and public authorities whenever he felt dialysis patients were being neglected. And it is fair to say that the installation of two public health dialysis machines in Cayo and Belize through WORTH was made possible largely through his efforts.

According to dialysis patient Sharette Swift, it is Cruz's fire that gave her the will to face this often intimidating illness:…

Monica Bodden
"You care to tell me the relationship that you and Mr. Cruz shared?"

Sharette Swift, Dialysis patient
"It started about last year December when I was diagnose with renal failure too and all I could think about was dying when I go do my dialysis and they had call in Dr. Ariaga to speak to me and Mr. Cruz was sitting in front of me on another chair doing his dialysis and Dr. Ariaga told me to get to know Mr. Cruz and draw strength from that man, he said look at him, he is blind, some of his fingers are off and he is decapitated in one of his legs and I made it a promise that I would get to know him and from that day forward I spoke to him, he speaks to me and he always give me positive information, positive advise and keep my faith and my hope alive. He is always being the advocate for them and he know what is happening, he lived it for so long, he have the potential, the knowledge of knowing what we are feeling and what we are going through but it's just a sad thing that he pass away so quickly. With the struggle that he is going though and the encouragement that he gave me I think that will sustain me for a long time."

Collet Montejo, Belize Healthcare Partners
"For Mr. Cruz, the fight was more about others than himself, he was constantly trying to get more and more for the dialysis patients and here at the hospital we applauded his efforts, we join him in those efforts, I personally was really impress with how hard he work to ensure that dialysis receive the care they deserve."

According to Montejo - the funeral is tentatively set for Sunday in Cayo.