Neonatologist Rigoberto Rodríguez Arévalo

The new day welcomes the routine in the Neonatology ward of the Ernesto Guevara Hospital. In the corridors, one breathes fear and uncertainty, and the constant coming and going of people "draw" the dawns. Suddenly the alarm sounds, and off they run, not even the faces are defined, only the white and green gowns are perceived.

In the middle of the hustle and bustle, a firm and sweet voice offers confidence to the relatives: "I am Dr. Rigo, don't worry, everything will be all right." Moreover, he rushes off to save some little one just out of the maternal womb as if his very existence depended on it.

Those who know Rigoberto Rodríguez Arévalo, a specialist in Neonatology, can attest to the absolute dedication and love he professes for the work he has dedicated more than six decades to. That sensitivity comes from his roots, and his parents, he confesses, were the ones "guilty" of fostering it. "I am the son of farmers, my dad owned a colony and my mom was a housewife and a wonderful woman. She breastfed me until I was 6 years old and that is something I value very much because I learned to love and esteem her, and my surroundings."

Studying medicine was always a great yearning that she made a reality with more than two decades of life. "When I finished elementary school I started working in a pharmacy, then I went to high school and pre-university, both at night. I took a course to become an assistant accountant and another to become a teacher of basic secondary education, and at the age of 25 I went to study medicine in Santiago de Cuba."

In this way is how he took his first steps in a profession that does not allow for rest, but it does offer the joy of knowing how to be useful and return hopes and smiles... At that time, when he was in his sixth year, he was in charge of a polyclinic and there he witnessed the birth of many babies. "I fell in love with those babies, because they were the most helpless and needed the most help. From then on, my new goal was to become a good neonatologist," he says.

A FATHER FOR THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN LAS TUNAS

The light of a dream took this man from Holguín to the Eastern Balcony, "only for a year", however, the warmth of his heart made his stay a little longer. "I am one of those who think that one should stay where it is most needed and not where one feels better, and I have seen so many children born, I participated in the formation of many students, and I attended to countless people that I consider myself a father to the people who live in Las Tunas.

"I love my work very much, above all I value breastfeeding, the skin-to-skin method, because I know that behind it comes attachment, affection and true feelings are born. That is my fight and I will not rest in that endeavor."

A few 24 hours are not enough to save lives in that institution he calls home, and the particular shine in his eyes tells many more anecdotes than wise words, but he does not fail to put on his lips all the satisfaction and commitment that invade him.

"I tell you something, and maybe it sounds crazy, he smiles as he greets his students, if I don't wear this gown, I don't feel good. If I don't come to the hospital I feel lost, because I have become addicted to my work, I love it because I know its value, and when you do something that you consider good, then as I often say, you have to die with your boots on."

"Seeing a child being born turns out to be something great because it is the most valuable creation that exists, at least in this world."

MORE THAN 60 YEARS OF SACRIFICES AND DEDICATION

Like all paved roads, happiness has not always come his way, but not giving up in the struggle is, above all, his greatest purpose.

"Unfortunately, I have bitter experiences, receiving little ones that one wants to save and it is not possible to do so. Seeing the tears of parents and relatives, hearing the cries of pain and hope fused in a single phrase: 'Save my son, doctor', and knowing that it is not possible. However, you do not give up; you fight and try to make each heartbeat a pump of strength for that infant who is fighting against death.

While he "rummages" in his memory for passages of his fruitful 64 years of work, he also mentions with humility what, he considers, could have been different or perhaps better. Even so, his merits are summed up in the many lives saved. "I think I could have done more on several occasions, of course, if I had had all the conditions, even with a little less pressure. Despite my accumulated experience, I didn't get a doctorate, and there are still other desires to be fulfilled."

Retirement has already knocked on his door, but he will only leave the profession when he closes his eyes or his energy wanes. "If there is one thing I am sure of, it is that I will not stop going to this service that has made me the man I was, am, and will be," he says.

"In the future, I would like them to remember that I defended just causes and, above all, that it should be recorded that there is strength in unity, and that superficiality does not make a neonatologist; I am one of those who believe that this branch belongs to simple and humble people.

"I admit that I have not always received recognition from those around me; however, for me, the most important thing is the satisfaction of having helped someone and being able to say, with determination: 'I am Dr. Rigo, what are you worried about?' That is when I feel that I am useful, my greatest payment, and the one that makes me happy."