Periodico 26

The story of Dayán Abdiel Agüero begins that February 11th, 2010 when in an unusual and unexpected birth he had to hold on to existence. By that time, Reinier Agüero Rodríguez, a boy just aged 23 years old, hoped to become a father, despite medical forecasts that were no so encouraging.

"His mother's pregnancy was not desired - he tells me and I discover pain in his words. - We were very young, she was only 17 years old and she lived in Manatí municipality, but she had to move on. To save the relationship she was traveling here and I went there, although with less frequency for work reasons.

He remembers that "at 26 weeks of gestation, a hemorrhage was presented that endangered both of them, and the priority was to save her. After the intervention, the doctors thought that the baby was born dead, and then they realized that she had vital signs."

That breath of life was enough to reinvent hopes. The little heart was beating and was reason enough to be attached to the tiny creature weighing only 900 grams. Thus, the days passed in a severe fight against death.

"He stayed for a while in Intensive Care of the hospital because of his delicate state of health. He suffered several respiratory arrests and two months after he was born, he lost his hand due to the complications.

"He was very small and fragile; he weighed a little more than a pound. The attention of the staff in the room was exceptional and the doctors always talked to us clearly about the possible consequences."

Already at home, Dayán and his family would undertake new challenges. A constant and leisurely rehabilitation process allowed him to sit and hold his head. Reinier says that "a lot of work was done to strengthen the muscles of the knee, the femur and the hip until he managed to crawl and stand alone. However, he was aggravated by a genetic problem that presented in the hip.

"After he turned 5 years old, he underwent three operations to try to correct that condition. One day, unexpectedly, we arrived at the hospital to do the usual physiotherapy and when they went to begin the exercises, he started walking. The emotion was shocking and indescribable; we have continued to work until today and he almost manage to do it totally alone."

The will of the child, the perseverance of loved ones and the professionalism of the medical team made the "miracle" possible. That is why the Dayan's face lights up when he hears the name of the Orthopedic and Traumatology specialist, Fernando Reyes, the main maker of that wonder.

A TIME WITH DAYÁN

He stays tuned for our conversation with a captivating expression, like if he were approving every word spoken by his parent. Moreover, between so much complicity, I cannot wait and I interrupt the dialogue to talk to him, who is the protagonist of this story.

Who is your favorite person? His finger points directly to the man next to me and the smile gets bigger. He does not say any word, however, I feel that he breaks the ice; Then, I insist with another question.
Do you like games, which do you prefer? Yesssss, the Zombie one, he says with a sparkle in the eyes. I also like to play with Pichura (nickname of one of his brothers).

I discover that there is someone special in his life: the teacher María Eugenia. She teaches him at home and has contributed to his recovery, and even when it is necessary, she accompanies him to physiotherapy.
What have you learned in school? He first thinks before giving a wrong answer. "I learned the colors, to count, the figures ..., about animals and plants ..." Moreover, he seems to be shuttling hither and yon in his thoughts to find more cogent grounds, but I prefer not to insist, I feel joyful to be there, next to him.

Dayan's disability is not a hurdle to assume his role as an older brother. Take care of the little ones and even scold them when they misbehave. He sings songs to the baby who has just arrived home and helps his mother as much as he can, the one who for seven years chose to love him in the absence of the one who forsooke him.

Reinier says with satisfaction that "he is so affectionate and communicative that he captivates people's hearts, mine was captivated since he was born."

A LIFE LESSON

"At the beginning, it was very difficult because I had the responsibility of being a father and mother at the same time, at a very young age. The family collaborated, but we are very fond of children just because they are ours, even when others do the best to help. I had to learn to plan and take out the maximum time benefit.

Reinier integrates the septet into the Onilé musical band, and is a worthy successor to a family with artistic traditions; he is grandson of the disappeared Edilberto Agüero (Zabala), founder of the  Estampas Tuneras comparsa, and also son of Eddy Agüero, current artistic director of the renowned group.

"I feel almost 100 percent new; I have grown up as a human being, father and also as a musician. I got an education that drove me not give up; my dad was always with me in good times, bad times and worse ones and I could not be less with my offspring."

Little Dayán has already extinguished nine candles, although his biological age is four or five year old infant. Even so, he is a living example of upgrading and of all that is achieved with patience and love.

"I am proud of him because he has known how to overcome all situations and has taught me a lot. I thought he was going to fear the last two operations, but he really had more courage than me. He knew how to dry my tears when I failed to contain them and said: "Dad don't cry, don't get like this."

What do you dream for your future?

"I hope he can fend for himself; that is the main reason we are going to enroll him in the Special School that recently opened in Santiago de Cuba.

"He enjoys riding a bicycle and riding a horse, and I want him to do it alone. I also want him to sing or play with me at a concert one day.

And you Dayan, would you like to? His answer was another "yes," of those that demonstrate absolute certainty.

I take a photo of them, while I think about how happy they are to have each other. They smile and the father kisses his boy on the cheek to perpetuate in an image the faces of happiness.

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