Hi everyone,
I just wanted to share a story from one of our travellers, Peggy, who took a suitcase with her to Cuba. Thank you Peggy for taking the time during your trip to deliver a suitcase! [NJT Waterloo]
I took the suitcase to Dr Kadiuska at the hospital in Rafael Freyre during the first week of my visit to Cuba. I came back to Canada in March after a really nice long holiday in Cuba.
I rented an apartment on the second floor of a house. I took a sewing machine and a bicycle with me, used them while I was there and then left them for my hosts. I spent my mornings quilting, my afternoons at the beach and took every opportunity to speak and improve my Spanish language skills. It was wonderful weather. I had lots of opportunity to go biking to nearby towns. All in all, a very pleasant holiday. I also brought a large bag of medicine samples from my doctor’s office and gave them to a local clinic.
The hospital was especially appreciative of the colostomy supplies that you sent.
I asked them what type of supplies they wanted for a next trip. They said the supplies that are most helpful are the colostomy supplies and wound dressings. They would really like to have a sphygnomanometer that measures blood pressure.
Attached is a photo of the donation at the hospital. The woman on the left is Dr Kadiuska, the hospital administrator and the woman on the right is Licensiado Norgelis, who is in charge of all of the hospital nursing staff. Interestingly, she is also in charge of the medical teams who serve all of the resorts in the Holguin area. Under her are all of the lifeguards who work at the resorts because they are considered part of the medical support team. They are laughing in the photo because I have just told them that I am a “cebolla entre dos rosas”, the onion between two roses.
Thanks very much for the wonderful service you offer to the underdeveloped world by sorting and packing suitcases. Your efforts are truly appreciated.
I hope to return next winter and would like to take another suitcase then as well.
Attached also is a photo of the quilt top I made while I was in Holguin area. It is hanging on the clothes line in front of a plantation of guineos, which we would call mini bananas. The little boy holding the corner of the quilt is the nephew of my hostess
