Samila Hernandez: "I was an angel with no wings"

 By Lorena Acosta Diaz   

 

Samila is one of those "young people for life" who put aside, for a moment, the role of journalist in training to support the most important cause. 

"Feeling I´m useful was my biggest motivation. Ever since I entered college and learned of this task I became interested in it, but I wasn't sure that first-year students could participate. Then they confirmed me and at that moment I contacted my main teacher of the year, to write my name on the list of volunteers. I knew that in the Field Hospital of the University of Matanzas I could help many people."

Since the beginning of the pandemic, young university students have excelled in numerous tasks in order to contribute to the country in this very complicated context. The new coronavirus undoubtedly imposed new challenges on the Federation of University Students (FEU) and its students.

SJ: What jobs were you doing in the isolation center?

"Except for medical care, we did everything in the building. The service of breakfast, snacks, lunch and food (prepare, deliver and scrub trays) was our task, in addition to cleaning all the areas in use (rooms, bathrooms, kitchen, hallways, rooms and the front of the building). We attended both to the patients and to the work personnel who accompanied us (doctors, medical students, nurses and lab technicians).

"Another of our functions was to count used clothes and make a daily order (uniforms, gloves, masks, chlorine, detergent), everything necessary for our protection and the development of our activities.

"We organized ourselves by subgroups to make work easier. The number of students varied by building, because they don't all have the same capacity, usually between six and eight volunteers."

SJ: What motivates you to come back?

"I've been to the isolation center three times and they've all been different. The experience can be described in many ways, with the days unforgettable moments are lived; people, both patients and colleagues, become your family and beautiful bonds are created.

"Every smile behind the masks is a reason to come back. The word thank you never meant as much to me as it did in those days. You feel an immense satisfaction when you say goodbye to a patient with their medical discharge in hand, when they ask you for a souvenir photo or you get a friend request on Facebook from one of them. I was a wingless angel (as I call the volunteers).

"On the other hand, there are very complex moments that allow you to grow as a human being. Sometimes, you don´t know any of the people around you; however, you feel committed to them. Unfortunately, some patients come out with more war scars than others, and in some cases fail to win the battle. It's definitely something that affects you emotionally."

Samila is one of those "young people for life" who put aside, for a moment, the role of journalist in training to support the most important cause. Despite the hard work she faces in isolation centers, despite the many tasks she takes on, she highlights the role of Cuban students and the sense of being where they are needed.