Coronavirus Stories: The Light of Life

Coronavirus Stories: The Light of Life
Fecha de publicación: 
14 May 2020
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In times where the coronavirus shows a voracious appetite, with a lethality rate over 7% and with more than 2,600,000 infected people, the word life has a double value like a precious treasure.

Any worker from the health sector gets to our souls. The protagonist this time is Dr. Limnet, who is the spit and image of the "dream repairman".

With her a small frame of body, for 12 years she has been working as a gynecologist at La Fátima hospital, in the municipality of Guanabacoa, and even in these times of pandemic she is daily involved in contributing to the growth of new lives.

I have wondered how her small hands are capable of so much, where she gets the strength to deal with women who, almost all the time, exceed her in weight and height. Because of those twists of fate and the additional ingredient of her work, Limnet feels an unimagined love for children, I have seen it when we meet and she shows it with my son, or with any other child of our mutual friends. She looks forward for life to reward her with a child of her own.

A key question surfaces, just as exhaustion of having finished an intense shift, with two labors in the same night:

From your position as a specialist in Gynecology and Obstetrics, what is the most dangerous thing about this virus?

“I am not an epidemiologist, but in viruses like this one, with such a high rate of spreading and equally worrying lethality, the most dangerous thing is that even the population has no real perception of the risk. These days I have noticed it on my trip back home. The streets in the middle of Guanabacoa are full of people, like nothing was happening. Yes, it’s true that most people were wearing surgical masks, but even that does not exempt them from possible contagion, in addition to the fact that not all the masks are suitable to fulfill their role as insulators ”.

What would you rate as the most worrying?

 “The growth of the virus, despite all the actions committed and the isolation measures put into practice, that is the most alarming. I fear for the elderly, they are the most vulnerable group, but also for pregnant women, who are my daily reason for being, and in their state the susceptibility to get the virus increases considerably.

Luckily, so far I have not seen any of them wandering in the streets, and when it happens, my duty is to persuade them to stay home and go out only to run some test or to the doctor’s office. Those who are treated here in the hospital are quite disciplined, they have a clear perception of risk, and accordingly, I think they are well protected. ”

When you return home after your shift , what hygiene protocol do you follow?

“I head straight for the bathroom, non-stop. Work clothes in a bucket with hot water and chlorine, plus a hot shower for me ... It’s an unbreakable, practically automatic procedure. ”

How important is the support of the family, your husband, in the midst of these circumstances?

“That is my strongest shoulder to lean on, my family. At home, my husband and mom, when I go to work, make sure that I am well protected. When returning from the shifts, the first thing, after asking me how was the night, if I took all the necessary precautions, and if everything went well with the labors. They really make a huge effort to allow me to rest and regain some strength to continue in the daily battle for life.

I think they are that complement of strength and encouragement that drives me every morning to face my profession with love. ”

What recommendations would you make to the population?

“The first thing is to raise awareness and collective responsibility. This is a truly serious and dangerous situation. We all must face to the best of our abilities, and the best way is to avoid going out on the streets. The best option to stop the transmission is to stay home and avoid all contact.

We go out for them, we risk our lives for them, but if they don't understand, the effort is useless.

Especially those who are in direct contact with affected patients, who go through cycles of 14 and up to 28 days without being able to go home, ”she said that without the slightest hint about resource limitations, a complex scenario derived from the suffocating blockade or any other negative variable we know arises in her line of work.

Day X of quarantine. The Covid-19 does not decrease its latent threat. The words social awareness, collective and individual responsibility echo in my ears. I confess that, more than once, I have already felt with a feeling of domestic claustrophobia, but just at that moment I take a look at my family, I go to the computer and try to write stories like that of Limnet, who undoubtedly wakes up, banishes her Lilliputian looks and wants to become a song every day ...

 

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