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Articles / US Blockade on Cuba / Blockade vs Cuba / Cuba, Fidel and the Revolution, Reasons Why Dayana Always Fights
Monday, October 31, 2011
Cuba, Fidel and the Revolution, Reasons Why Dayana Always Fights
By Arailaisy Rosabal García/ Radio Cadena Agramonte.
lasy@rcagramonte.icrt.cu
 Dayana - the protagonist of this story- is always willing to undertake something, even when her physical condition might impede her to do it. In fact, when she has nothing to do, then feels as if she were “incomplete” and the brightness of her always cheerful blue eyes seems to dim.
When she was four years old she was diagnosed with progressive spinal cord atrophy (type III), also known as Werdnig-Hoffmann syndrome, a hereditary and degenerative disease that brings about a progressive weakness of the physical and respiratory systems.
However, the astonishing strength of that child –a 20-year-old girl today-, together with the undeniable efforts of the Revolution to ensure well-being to its citizens allowed her to live and have dreams as everyone else, many of which have already come true.
At present she is studying Journalism (4th year), she has published her works on the Internet, once in a while she writes short stories for her little princess Diana –her younger sister-; besides, she collects postage stamps and participates in international contests.
“Perhaps, as I fell ill when I was very little – Dayana explains- I learnt to overcome my own limitations. I’ve never been a negative person, in fact, I don’t understand why there are so many healthy people around the world, with no disabilities, who restrain themselves from doing things simply because they think they are not capable to do so.”
For 27 months she stayed in the Ignacio Agramonte Piña Pediatric Hospital in the city of Camagüey, Dayana’s health condition was committed, but thanks to the skills and dedication of doctors and nurses she could survive, although she is unable to breathe by herself.
Her parents, from where she inherited perseverance and tenacity, wrote a letter to Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro asking him for a mechanical ventilator in order to take their child home. Some time later she was discharged.
But then she started to suffer in flesh the limitations resulting from the U.S. harsh measures towards Cuba. “The equipment that I need has a very limited lifespan, even more when it remains turned on 24 hours a day. Whenever it breaks down it has to be replaced by a new one. Because of the U.S. blockade on Cuba it is impossible for the country to buy spare parts.
“Costs increase because they have to be purchased in third or even fourth counties, even delaying the delivery of the equipment. When this happens I have to come back to the hospital, and although they treat me wonderfully, nothing compares to being at home. Besides, I miss my lessons and that’s something I really don’t like.”
Dayana tells me that she has now a modern, portable device with in-build batteries made in Germany, and this somehow facilitates the accessibility to spare parts.
“Luckily, I need no medication, except when I get sick. On the contrary, if I needed it the Cuban State would have to invest much more money to guarantee my health.”
This young lady who is very grateful to the Revolution decided to study Journalism, precisely to denounce the destructive insanity and warmongering policy of the U.S. imperialism. “Or can we call the killings and wars they have promoted around the world otherwise?
“Journalism is an ideological weapon, useful for denouncing such evils, even more in Cuba, where there are many things to improve but no one can deny our social gains, among them the right to have free access to health and education. The first article I wrote was just to deplore the U.S. blockade, on the occasion of the United Nations voting on the need to end this long-lasting extraterritorial measure, which we won overwhelmingly this year.
“Of course, Journalism is also a vehicle to write about other things for which it is worth fighting for.”
Dayana cannot help but be moved each time she speaks about Cuba, the Revolution and Fidel Castro, three things that are essential in her life, for which she is happy and will always defend, “because they are part of a bunch of reasons for which it is worth fighting for”.
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