That April day, the unexpected phone call broke the calm in the home of nurse Yarima Villanueva Batista. On the other end of the line, someone was requesting his willingness to assist suspected patients of Covid-19. In a minute a thousand ideas went through her mind ... the newborn grandson, a daughter of only 10 years old and her grandmother of 96, who is prostrate.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- “Oh my God! What should I do? She thought as she held the phone. There was a brief silence and then a forceful yes, one of those that leave the left side of the chest without hearing the reason. "Tell me what time should I be there?", She asked with the same determination that she showed long ago when she left for Haiti on an internationalist mission.
So, I, who now listen to her -through the phone- and have not even seen her face, can imagine a humble person, with a deep humanist vocation. And I remember one of the great phrases of the most universal of Cubans꞉ “The duty of all of us while we still have feet is to stand up and say: I”.
She packed with a few outfits and other personal supplies. There, everything turns green and you just have to carry the essentials. There was not much time to repair the danger, it was enough the understanding and support of the family.
The next day dawned faster than usual for Yarima, it was a day like any other, but the mixture of emotions impregnated a different nuance. She arrived at the pickup site at the scheduled time and boarded the transportation that would take her to Los Cocos motel. Just then, when she saw other comrades, she felt the joy that emanates from a good soul.
“Once here -she tells me- they gave us a tour of the area. When they asked: Who are going to start working today? I answered immediately: I. We were the replacement for others who spent 14 days on the job, and now I lead a team."
She confesses that it is a bit complex for her to keep her distance from patients. "You know, journalist, we Cubans are very friendly and we like to exchange, but we must stop the impulse, because the disease is very contagious."
I find her generous, given to the affections, those that often heal more than the medicines themselves.
"I have never experienced anything similar before," she speaks from the experience of her more than two decades in nursing. Thank the people's trust and the applause of each night. There is emotion in her words and I notice her getting humble, bigger.
And if that was not enough, so much sacrifice, she assures: "If they request my services again, I will say yes, because we have to save ours."
THE JOY OF SERVING
The call was not a surprise for Yulier Pérez Céspedes, a specialist in Comprehensive General Medicine. However, Sunday, March 22 will be a date that will hardly erase from his memory. That day he came to Los Cocos to challenge the Covid-19 with his two best weapons꞉ knowledge and absolute devotion to one of the most beautiful professions, and it's still there.
“I am a doctor and given the situation in the country, you must prepare for the call. The family has their fears, but they are aware that I am doing my duty.”
Pérez Céspedes takes over the management of this isolation center and has managed to win the admiration and affection of his colleagues from the moment he welcomes them. From a distance, he hugs, kisses, transmits confidence and even takes away a little fear.
He knows the protocol and protective measures to avoid contagions. He tells me that they are divided by work teams and the shifts start very early.
In the “clean zone”, green robes, masks, gloves and a hat are placed. It is a rigorous process, in which they help each other so as not to leave even a single space of the body uncovered. Behind those suits, patients can no longer identify them, but they recognize limitless delivery beyond a face.
The greatest risk begins when they step into the red zone, he tells me. There they take the temperature, listen to and check the respiratory, heart rate ... of the suspects. At that time you have to be very focused and free of worries to exactly comply with what is established. At the end of the task, they return to the clean area to take off the clothes that will be subjected to a sanitation process.
Yulier's hardest image is that of a patient admitted to the center who tested positive for Covid-19. For the first time, he looked straight at the invisible enemy, through the eyes of the woman from Puerto Padre. "It was a unique experience; We had been dealing with suspects for several days and none had been confirmed.
“Immediately the assistance personnel who had direct contact with the affected person were examined and a focus control was carried out as established by the protocols. She felt very dejected and we tried to comfort her and explain the procedure to her. We contacted the family and I personally spoke to her husband."
Despite the circumstances, there is always a word of encouragement towards those who are “cloistered” in a room. Beautiful feelings are woven that also save from confinement. Perhaps due to his ability to give himself to others, he sensitively narrates an atypical celebration in these days of isolation.
“We had a little girl who was 2 years old here, away from the mother and father. The team celebrated the anniversary without neglecting the measures. It was very emotional. Patients from the cabins sang Happy Birthday to her and her grandmother showed gratitude with tears in her eyes.
How long will you stay here? "They have not informed me yet", he replies and after a pause ... he adds: "I can only tell you that I will be there until needed."
SHARED PRIDE
In the afternoons the heat is more intense. You breathe "hot" and sweat bathes your body. At that time, the desire to remove all clothing comes out. Dr. Yaima Serrano already experiences these sensations, even though she has been there for a couple of days.
"I prepared my family in advance because I assumed that at any moment I would be called to carry out this task." And she confesses that fears inhabit her, but she tries to face them strongly. As she dresses in green and finishes putting on her mask, she thinks about her own and also about the admiration her 10-year-old girl feels when she knows that her mother is on that front.
"I will spend a month without seeing my Isabela, but this is where I am most useful now, and I also do it for her," she says in a broken voice.
Serrano highlights the work of the service personnel, those brave anonymous people who do their best to guarantee the operation of the isolation centers so that the men and women in white coats can focus their senses on saving lives.
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The voice of Norge Sánchez, First Degree specialist in Internal Medicine, betrays his energy, the same as for sure, must now be transmitted to his patients. “My specialty has always been at the forefront of events of this nature, such as dengue, cholera. I speak on behalf of all clinicians because I know that from the beginning they are ready to face the new coronavirus, “he says with pride.
So, have you experienced similar situations to the current one? "No, this is unprecedented neither in Cuba nor in the world, but we are based on experiences and we are gaining knowledge as time goes by. In the beginning, I was in another isolation center and I perceive a remarkable evolution.”
There, in the home, the rear is assured. “I am fortunate to share a profession with my wife who, of course, understands the importance of this mission. It is tremendously difficult, I cannot deny it, she was in the care of our daughter, only 2 months old. ” And from the words comes the feeling of a father, who misses his little girl.
The journey has just begun for him and his companions who arrived in Los Cocos on March 27 and will do well. After the end of the two weeks of service, they must remain isolated for the same period before returning to their own.
While at home, children, grandparents, parents ... they discount the days to the calendar, our brave time is running out fast. Behind the apparent tranquility of the place, the shock is always hidden before the possible infected. Once inside, there is no room for distraction and the common interest to heal, save, and above all, to annihilate the COVID-19 grows.
