De Corazón network for medicine donation and exchange is about to celebrate its first anniversary next August 18.

Many times, between the lines, you can "feel" the desperation of those who, through a social network, ask for medicine. They scrutinize beyond the unthinkable, and the digital scenario, because it is about the health of a loved one, and no shortage can extinguish the hope of a mother, a father, a child... And yes, messages of solidarity swarm, even from those who do not have the saving remedy within reach; but the opportunism of others who seek to profit from the pain of others is also triggered.

In these times of shortages, perhaps as never before, the insecurity of sick people grows, and anguish creeps into the chest when "colliding" with the high prices imposed by the informal market. Fortunately, generosity spreads its wings and materializes in De Corazón, a project created for the donation and exchange of medicines, in times when, although sharing can mean staying with an empty medicine cabinet, it ennobles, soothes, saves...

This network of WhatsApp groups, born in August 2021 in Santiago de Cuba, arrives in Las Tunas by the hand of the young student Sandro Batista, who decides to add several boys, and on October 3 of the last calendar begins to give its first heartbeats here.

Besides its essential purpose, this noble project "pumps" other motivations: to prevent the illegal sale of drugs, to promote the services of pharmacies and Natural and Traditional Medicine, to rekindle values such as solidarity, and to reduce speculation about medicines in Cuba.

"At the beginning -the also network provincial coordinator refers- the work was focused on the exchange within the group itself, and I assumed the role of messenger to facilitate and bring the products closer to the people.”

"After eleven months, a period in which we have made collections, visits to children in hospitals, appointments between administrators in the provinces, we are no longer a project but a national network that allows us to send products from one place to another."

The meetings have been fruitful because we have learned basic elements of pharmacology and how to use the medicine entry and exit book to keep a rigorous control.”

Even though at 24 years of age he has a great responsibility on his shoulders, Sandro confesses that knowing that he is useful makes him immensely happy. Perhaps because there is more joy in giving than in receiving, he does not hesitate to travel long distances, even in the rain, to deliver drugs, and the smiles of gratitude are his greatest reward.

"We have a storage house, a sort of central medicine cabinet, where we keep the collections; that way when someone makes a request we can respond more quickly. We update the list of available medicines weekly and try to fulfill the requests, not only from the members of the group but also from other people, especially the elderly, who tell us their needs by phone or during the face-to-face actions developed in the Huellas culture center.”

Well-established rules ensure that drugs get into the hands of the most vulnerable. "We ask for evidence, such as medical history, medical card, or prescription, to prove that the person really needs it," he explains.

De Corazón also joins forces with the Manitas Blancas Project, which supports infants admitted to the Oncohematology ward of the Mártires de Las Tunas pediatric hospital.

"We were contacted by a girl who needed medicine that was very difficult to obtain, and within 15 minutes after the publication in our network, we had already found it. From there, other gestures of solidarity arose; because, besides the drug, we could bring her milk, jelly, sweets...," he recalls.

Such an altruistic initiative should not do without the support of different institutions, and although this has been the case in other provinces, Las Tunas has experienced a different reality. Its coordinator confesses it with the certainty that this vital help would contribute to increasing its scope here.

THE SATISFACTION OF DOING GOOD

It is as important to receive as it is to give and in this symbiosis of life, generosity, love, and gratitude bear fruit. Vivina Polanco, one of the beneficiaries of the project, knows this well. "It's the best thing that could have been created, one perceives the humanitarian action of the Cuban people."

"I am comforted to have helped several people, even sharing my treatment for anemia; I did it with a girl from Camagüey and with another girl from Cacocum. Whenever I can, I donate one of my pills to a 90-year-old asthmatic woman. I have also received pills when I have needed them."

Dayana is another grateful woman from Las Tunas. "I feel very proud to offer my contribution, if I don't have the complete blister pack, at least with one pill I can alleviate the pain of others, and I donate it without hesitation. I have also benefited because my stepfather suffers from gout and needed allopurinol, which was missing. I admire the work of the network and the dedication of its coordinator in this province," she says.

Many people inquire about Sandro's motives, perhaps to understand the size of his sacrifice. He has heard so many times the question, "What do you get out of it? Before which, in a wise lesson of humility, a smile is stamped on his face, and certainties sprout.

"I gain the satisfaction of doing good, of growing as a person." De Corazón is just that, the possibility of sharing, showing greater empathy, facing adversity together, and above all saving the essence of the human being.