Help from Cuba

In early 2012, I called the United States Interest Section in Havana—AKA the consulate, but because of the embargo, it has a different name—to make an appointment for Loly, Natacha's mother who lives in Cuba, for a visa to the US. The soonest one available was for November 2016.

Loly wanted to be in New York when Valeria was born, but she had to miss it, and she wanted to help during Valeria's surgery, which Natacha and I really needed, but having the surgeries in Cuba proofed rather complicated.

In the meantime, we continued looking for the right doctor in the US, and found Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia; they were amazing, and quick to set up a date for the surgery.

We mentioned to Loly that we were happy with the physicians we had found, and that the surgery was within a few weeks, that would be in May 2013. She mentioned that she had heard visas’ appointments had been sped up; we should try calling again the US Interest Section. And I did without any hope.

When I phoned, they asked me for Loly’s info, and then they said, “we have an opening for April 16th, 2013.”

I thought, “2013? That’s in how many years? Wait! That’s in two weeks!”

“Will you take it or not?” the operator at the Interest Section asked.

I was still in shock, so it took me a few seconds to react, but I said, “Yes, we take it”.

In less than fourteen days, Natacha and I had to gather the documents to proof that we could financially invite her, and Loly had to gather all the documents to proof that she had strong ties to go back Cuba. The main tie was that she’s the only taking care of Nancy, her 87 years-old mom.

On April 16th, only 35 people out of 700 got visas to the US; one of them was Loly.

She didn’t have a phone, but a relative of hers emailed me with the results after the appointment. I called Natacha, who was anxiously waiting for the news, on video chat. She started jumping with joy when she heard the news, and hung me up right away; “Bye”, she said, “I have to tell the family.”

After getting her visa, Loly went back to Bayamo, packed her things up, arranged who was going to take care of Nancy for the three months she was going to be away, and flew to Miami. All within three days.

She spent a short time there visiting her relatives, and finally made it to New York last night; Valeria was resistant to be carried by Loly for a while, but after a few grandmother tricks, Valeria ceded.

Natacha and I finally got the help from Cuba that we needed, and right on time. We’re ready to drive in a few hours to Philadelphia for the surgery of the mirror foot.

Getting a Doctor in Cuba

We’ve decided to pass on Dr. Salles excellent option. By continuing our search, an even better opportunity has presented before us in Philadelphia. Getting a doctor in Cuba was a great learning experience, and there are a couple of recommendations that I’d give to anyone asking about this path:

1- Be ready to obey the system
On our second day in La Havana, a nurse knocked at our door. “Are Natacha, Valeria, and Gino Ginocchio here?” She asked in a commanding voice. She asked to see our passports, and when we had arrived and when we were planning to leave. After taking notes, she gave us two pieces of paper. “You must go tomorrow to the polyclinic to get tested”, she said. “Why?” We asked. “To ensure you’re ok; the baby doesn’t have to go.” We were concerned with the test, but we had to go otherwise they’d come back for us or wouldn’t let us leave the country.

The morning after we were at the polyclinic at 7 a.m., waiting in line at the blood test laboratory with about 20 people from Cuba. On the wall, there was a sign promoting healthy eating with images of vegetables. Suddenly an older person in line commented, “Look, they tell us to eat those vegetables, but where do we get them? I can’t find vegetables anywhere.” Another old man agreed with him, saying, “Yeah, all I see available in the street are peanuts; I don’t know where they get all those peanuts from; everybody is just selling peanuts; my neighbor got a job offer in the hospital, but she preferred selling peanuts; she makes much more money like that”.

After an hour, we were called in into a narrow room; the assistant pinched us in the finger with freshly unwrapped tiny metal blades, and got drops of blood on little flat glasses. I asked, “What is this test for?” “Malaria”, she answered, “we have reports it’s spreading in Africa.” Then she added, “if the test is positive, we’ll go to your house tomorrow; if it’s negative, this is it.”

We never heard from them again.   

2- Consider the weather

La Havana is extremely humid, and air conditioning is not available everywhere. Having a cast on with a 90 degrees weather and high humidity could require a lot of sacrifice. I’ve been twice to La Havana; the first time was in April, and I had to sleep with a fan blowing air all night. The second time was in January, and the weather was pleasant with a cooling breeze at night; it’s not the best to lie on a beach chair, but it’s convenient to lie on a hospital bed.

3- Do extensive research.

Dr. Salles came strongly recommended, and even though Internet is limited in Cuba, there’s information I was able to find out about him. Dr. Salles has published a study on the benefits of pyramidal energy; the study was done to a group of 251 people, and the results were positive. He also has published a study on a patient, who grew only one bone in the forearm rather than two, and the successful treatment he followed. I admit that out of both articles, the latter had more impact on me.

I hope these tips help someone interested in getting a doctor in Cuba; we could have treated Valeria's mirror foot in the Frank País Hospital there; it was a golden opportunity. But when looking for a doctor, you have to look for diamonds, and diamonds are not up for grabs on the surface, you have to dig dip to find them.

Valeria, Natacha and I at the Frank País Hospital in La Havana, Cuba

Any comment, "like" or "twit" is greatly appreciated. Your interaction is very important; thanks.

A Hospital with Pulse

The air in the living room was heavy; the recent call with Dr. Salles about the surgery’s cost had blown up the balloons of hope to treat Valeria in Cuba. Natacha and I talked whether it still made sense to accept Dr. Salles’ invitation to visit the hospital where the surgery would take place, and since we were in the country already, we decided to go after all to The Frank País Orthopedic Hospital. 

The Frank País is on the east side of La Havana, and is made up of a series of three story high buildings; it’s over 40 years old, and while most of its patients are Cubans, it has a dedicated office for foreigners too, Health Tourism.

Because we were going to the Health Tourism office, we were spared of the burden to make an appointment like most people in the island do. Usually sick people, or relatives on their behalf, have to go before dawn to the hospital to wait in line, and get a ticket that would ensure an appointment on that day; then they have to wait for hours until doctors finally receive them.

We were fortunate to already have an appointment for 9 am. with Dr. Salles, who was busy when we arrived, so we had to wait outside his office. While waiting, an administrative worker, who was passing by, stopped to complement Valeria for a couple of minutes. A moment later, an old nurse, with a serious look, approached us slowly. She didn’t say a word; she just grabbed Valeria in her arms, hugged her, and smiled with her eyes closed; her looks went from toughness to sweetness. By that moment, I was starting to get an unexpected feeling of a hospital that cared; a feeling I was unfamiliar with. Those kind of kind encounters continued during the day; when we visited the financial assistant, she stepped out of her desk, carried Valeria, and sat with us on a couch; she continued talking to us while playing with her. 

When we finally made it into Dr. Salles room, he was cold and straightforward, and that was great; all I wanted from him was to be the scientist who concentrated on muscle, nerves, and metatarsus, but it was comforting to feel from the rest of the hospital staff the human touch; the Frank País had almost made us forget why we were there.

The warmness of the hospital became more important than the lack of covers on electricity sockets or that doctors didn’t hang medical school diplomas on their walls. The Frank País was an excellent option to operate Valeria if only the circumstances allowed it. Weeks after visiting the hospital, I frequently remember the big quote chiseled in marble in the lobby, “Making a handicapped child walk is the most noble humane deed that one can conceive of.”

At the Frank País Hospital in La Havana with Dr. Salles

Any comment, "like" or "twit" is greatly appreciated. Your interaction is very important; thanks.

The Mother-in-law

Natacha and I felt relieved after finding a good medical option in Cuba, but the reason that was weighing more in favor of the island had nothing to do with science but with love, the love to Valeria from Loly, her grandmother.

Loly, a very strong woman and in her fifties, lives on the east side of the country, in Bayamo, and was doing everything within her limited means to help us finding a doctor; she even traveled to La Havana in the back of load trucks to talk to doctors. Bus tickets are very scarce for nationals, unless one is willing to pay the price for foreigners of $50, which is way higher than the $15 monthly average salary.

 

Loly had heard of Dr. Salles through Jose Antonio, her partner of more than three decades, whose grandson had had one of his fingers accidentally cut off by a folding chair. The finger was put in ice, and Dr. Salles was able to reinsert it.

In our case, since the post surgery therapy for Valeria might take up to 8 weeks, she offered to take care of her granddaughter for that time; after all, it might be harder for Natacha and I to stay that long in Cuba.

I appreciated her help in finding a doctor, but I also appreciated her help with Valeria while visiting Cuba; for the first time in the 6 months, Natacha and I had someone to take care of the baby. “Is she awake?” She’d tell us early in the morning, wanting to take Valeria with her. “Go out, have fun,” she’d say to us; those were long awaited words we had been dreaming of on many sleepless nights. Loly would also pass her calmness and enthusiasm on to us; when I asked Natacha how I’d take a shower with only a hot bucket of water, she told her, “Show him, otherwise he’s going to end up like a boiled chicken.” Or she’d say things to us, but facing Valeria like, “we’re going to visit your mom in the loony house on Sundays if she keeps getting that nervous.”

Loly would cook amazing stews, fried delicious stakes, and tostones, and she’d even prepared rice pudding, my favorite desert, but I was told that after I left, and Natacha, and Valeria stayed for two more weeks, she limited her menu to mostly rice and beans.

The only time that Loly was a bit down was when we got the estimate from Dr. Salles for the surgery; it was much higher than expected; for Cubans this sort of surgery is almost free, but we were foreigners. 

Valeria was ever hardly away from Loly in La Havana

Any comment, "like" or "twit" is greatly appreciated. Your interaction is very important; thanks.

Trusting a doctor in shorts

If there were an upper middle class in Cuba, it’d live at El Vedado.

Unlike Old Havana, which is falling apart, El Vedado is well kept, and that’s where Natacha, Valeria, and I went to meet Dr. Salles for our first visit at his apartment.

The meeting was informal, and that explains why Dr. Salles received us at night, wearing shorts and sandals; he was strongly recommended to us, so his fashion preferences was something that we could overlook.

Dr. Salles, a man in his mid-forties, almost bold, but in good shape, wasn’t charging us for the visit; still I was aware of the Cuban tradition of giving doctors a little thank you gift. I had got him a 16 GB flash drive because that’s what people mainly use to trade movies, pictures, and music due to the lack of Internet. Those whom I had given flash drives, as gifts, were very grateful.

He first checked Valeria’s hands, and said,  “With the extra index fingers, I’ll create the thumbs”. For Natacha and I, it was great news; he was confirming what Dr. Miki, in Miami, had told us a few days before; although using another technique. “Just to be clear,” he added, “they won’t be perfect looking thumbs, but she’ll be able to grasp things. I’d wait until she’s two year old to operate those though,” he said.

Valeria was oblivious to all the plans we were foreseeing for her; she was having fun pulling Dr. Salles hair of his legs.

“Her right foot won’t be complicated, but the mirror foot is going to require more work,” he said. “Her feet could be done right after she turns one,” he added. “Why not all together,” Natacha asked. “Because I want to see how the hands develop; right now it’s too early to tell,” he responded. “Still, there will definitely be more than two surgeries, maybe four all together.”

He then got an iPhone, and took pictures of her feet and hands. If I had thought I was going to surprise him with the flash drive, he rather surprised me with his iPhone, which is a device I ignored they could have in Cuba. When I gave him my gift, he wasn’t impressed.

We agreed to call him the day after to get an estimate now that he had an idea of what needed to be done. We felt confidence that he could perform the surgery, but logistics had to be considered; going to Cuba four times in a short period of time might prove difficult.

Valeria and her grandmother Loly in La Havana