NJT Manitoba – Winnipeg wishes to thank Tannys for taking supplies to Cuba! Tannys writes:
Hello!
We got back from an amazing trip to Cuba yesterday, and finally have a chance to send you the photos from dropping off the NJT suitcase.
My friend and I were staying in Varadero, but Monday, March 31st we took a taxi to Cardenas, and dropped it off at their biggest hospital there. They were very happy to receive it, and they do everything, including paediatrics and surgery. They also said they need everything, and I put extra heavy checkmarks on the things they especially need, on the form.
I think they were almost as excited for the children’s medicines that I brought personally, from 0 to 2 years and from 2 to 12 years. They knew that it was from me and wasn’t part of the suitcase.
We didn’t really venture off the resort much, so not really any adventures on this trip – we are both teachers and were pretty tired and just wanted to relax.
We didn’t get to see too much of the hospital, but it looked quite old, and had a lot of people waiting around outside. I don’t know if there just wasn’t an elevator nearby, but our poor taxi driver lugged the suitcase up two flights of stairs for us.
It was important for me to bring this because I know how very fortunate I am, how lucky we are to live in this country with so many opportunities, and to have a family that, while not rich, was certainly comfortably middle class at the very least. My parents worked hard all of their lives until retirement, and were always very supportive of my sister and I financially. I have a good job, I own my own house and car, and I wanted to give back even more than all of the things I was bringing down there to donate.
I knew nothing of this when I booked the trip to Cuba on New Year’s Eve. I just knew it was a cheaper warm place to go than the other warm places that were being advertised. But in the last three months I’ve learned so much about the country, the conditions that the people are living in, and how desperately they are in need of so many things. When I discovered your organization, it seemed like a good way to help out more.
I had only printed out one form to fill in, which is why it’s not in capital letters, even though I tried to explain that to them (I didn’t catch it early enough.). I’m not sure if everything is readable on the form, but the hospital is the biggest in that city/town, and is on the north edge, so you barely even have to go into the town if coming from Varadero.
On the list of places from NJT where we can drop off the suitcases, this hospital is listed numerous times under slightly different names. From a photo, I believe the proper name is Hospital Docente Julio M. Aristegui, or in English, Julio M. Aristegui Teaching Hospital.
Thank you for providing the supplies and for all of your help with this. It is really hard to see how much they truly need medical supplies over there.
Thank you for everything you are doing,
Tannys
