In December of 1972, he climbed out of the Andes mountains with Nando Parrado
to get help for the other survivors in the crashed plane. The trek took
ten days over a distance of at least 30 miles.
Was one of the sixteen survivors of the ill-fated Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 which crashed in the Andes mountains on October 13, 1972.
He is a survivor of the 1972 Andes plane crash.
In 1994, he unsuccessfully ran for the presidency of Uruguay.
He is a surgeon who specializes in children's heart cases.