I have known Jany Fernández Jomarrón for many years, even before she knew about me. Those were the days when destiny guided my steps towards the Majibacoa pre-university, where I only studied the 12th grade. There, in the middle of that lost place with a sui generis charm, they told me about her, about her efforts to enter the Luis Urquiza Jorge Vocational Pre-university Institute of Exact Sciences.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- She doesn't know it, but at a distance of three years, her classmates from the High School still remembered her like a moth among books. Her name jumped out in the stories of those dreamers who had a world to conquer.

Later, when I began my studies at the University of Camagüey, others brought her back, because of that mania of hers of leaving footprints on people. This time, she came in the memories and photos of friends with whom she shared the rigors and joy of the High School. I knew then, that she had chosen to walk the paths of Medicine.

The years went by lightly and a few years ago destiny put us in the same place; while I was going through a difficult time. I identified her immediately in the middle of a ward at the Mártires de Las Tunas pediatric hospital, wearing her white coat and stethoscope around her neck. I felt that I had found an oasis, and I was not mistaken; to this day she is still an oasis, and I say this with gratitude and admiration.

That is why I did not experience any tinge of astonishment when I noticed that she was assisting suspicious children from COVID-19. She confesses that for her it was not a surprise either. And the answer jumped from her lips very quickly, even when she had to adjust vital questions.

For seven years little Fernanda has been the center of her life. At home now, she is demanding a lot more attention, and Jany has traded her break for a game of dolls or patiently played the role of teacher. It is not easy to stay away for a month, but other infants need her. She knows this, and it makes her immensely happy.

“My mom had to take a leave of absence from the workplace to take care of Fernanda, a real challenge in the midst of the harshness of isolation and lessons over TV broadcasts, she tells me in fair acknowledgment of her mother”.

WARD INSIDE

It dawns and a rush is evident inside the bathroom to get rid of drowsiness and sanitize the body before lining up in green; it is a kind of protocol that protects them and at the same time offers security to those inside. There, in the small room, a mass of sensations slips into his insides. But there is not much time to think.

So far those admitted here have tested negative to COVID-19. However, we prepare and attend to them as if they were negative until the result is issued. The treatment depends on the stage of evolution of the patient, that is, whether they are possibly ill or confirmed.

Suspects are given the rapid diagnostic test and PCR between the third and seventh days after the onset of symptoms. At that time they are given vitamins, Folic Acid, Oseltamivir, and Azithromycin. If the infants have pneumonia, they are treated with protocol drugs; if there is a complication with COVID-19, the other antivirals are used.

She tells me about the work of the nurses who stay with the patients most of the day, and the service staff. The assistants are extremely important and, despite the risk, they are exposed to, they do not give up their work. They clean the room, as well as other tasks so that the place has extreme hygiene.

I listen to her and think about those crucial hours when she is with the little ones: have you ever felt afraid? “Yes, of course, all the time one is afraid. You have to be careful not to break the rules because it is a new illness for everyone."

So, why did you accept this challenge? “A doctor always has to step forward; it is our duty. Thanks to my Revolution, I have the title and the least one can do is comply with the call”. Dr. Jany defends her vocation of solidarity and above all that love that infants inspire in her.

“I love children and the younger the better. I always said that I was going to be a pediatrician”. At that moment, her childhood memories bring smiles to her face and she embraces the days when she played doctor and prescribed medicine to her fellow adventurers.

She says that inspiration came to her from an early age. Her mother was a pharmacist in her hometown, in Omaja, and she was still a child, so she had to go with her to the watches because she had no one to take care of her. Perhaps for another child that could have been a punishment; for Jany it was a kind of influence that marked her destiny.

“I was attached to the doctors and I saw how they treated the sick; that, clearly, motivated me even more."

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When the work is finished, she leaves the green suit in another area and places it inside nylon for disinfection. She takes a shower before putting on new clothes and finally returns to the room for rest. The next day another team will go to the front, while she and hers recover their energies.

However, Dr. Fernández is also leading the group, so she can't completely disengage herself and on the breathing days, she keeps an eye on the events in the room.

Even so, she finds the space to communicate with the family, and mainly with Fernanda, who from her innocence no longer finds it necessary to invent herself to break the longing for her mommy. “We call each other on the phone and the other day she tells me: mommy today I don't miss so much because I get the idea that you're on a call, tomorrow I'm going to think that you're working and the day after, that you're still doing the same. Later, Mom, I think I'm going to die missing you”.

But Jany, finds the exact words to snuggle her from a distance and imbue her with that strength that she seasoned with unparalleled sweetness. In a few weeks “Fer” will feel happy in her mother's arms, and in time the pain of her absences will be transformed into admiration and pride.

No wonder, the little girl I heard about several years ago, the loving and persevering Jany, is today the consecrated specialist, a brave woman and angel of many children. I am sure she could not have chosen a better profession, and she knows it too.

“I tell you something, if I were given the opportunity to choose again, I would be a doctor and a pediatrician without a doubt. Infants are the most precious and protected thing in a society, the future depends on their health. That's why I'm here, for their sake."