She first apologizes. The guilt is on her as she remembers all those she greeted when she didn't even think the new coronavirus could enter her home.
Las Tunas, Cuba.-Her husband arrived from Italy on March 9, but it wasn't until five days later that he began to experience symptoms. He was quickly tested and was transferred to the El Cocal isolation center in Holguín province. She was admitted as a suspect in Las Tunas, and unfortunately the tests showed that she was also infected.
This is the story of Iliana Pérez, who lives in Guayacán, in the municipality of Jesús Menéndez, the first person in this province affected by Covid-19. The journalist Miguel Díaz Nápoles, from Radio Victoria, had the scoop. His information makes me think of those citizens who still walk the streets without justification, believing that they will not be touched.
I do not judge her (life has already taken its toll), rather I support her pain. Listening to her testimony on the site of the provincial radio station at www.tiempo21.cu, the corners of my chest shrank. How much anguish will she feel far from her daughter? How much fear at the thought that this is a deadly virus, which has caused so many deaths? How much regret will she have in remembering those relatives and friends that she and her husband greeted when they were asymptomatic? How much uncertainty will there be inside her in spite of the excellent care she has received from the health personnel?
From the "Balcony of Eastern Cuba," she was transferred to the "City of Parks." Today she remains in the Military Hospital of those premises and she recognizes that everything is wonderful there. I look at a picture of her and try to unravel how much her eyes have cried. She is barely 38 years old, but this pandemic does not believe in ages or geography. A green mask accompanies the image; she already knows that it is not a fashion or a symbol, and that simple detail can make a difference.
Again and again, I listen to the audio in which she makes clear her feeling of guilt for having run the risk of infecting others. The distance hurts, but the weight of the actions hurts more. That is why, from the bottom of her soul, she advises: Learn to value your lives and take all measures, even if they are extreme, because this is not a game and anyone can be touched, anyone can be infected and have no symptoms, as was my case. Do it for you, for your family, for others.
The nightmare for her is not over, but her words urge reflection. In spite of all the measures taken in our country and the consequent disclosure of sanctions to lawbreakers, I have still seen from the window of my house children playing in the middle of the street and people dressed very elegantly pass by as if nothing had happened (I am not talking about those who leave out of necessity). How sad it would be if their world collapsed, like Iliana's, for not understanding in time that this is a matter of life and death. Let's take care!
