By Maria Ines Alvarez Garay (*)
That July 26, 1953, with the assaults on the Moncada garrison in Santiago de Cuba, and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes in Bayamo, on the morning of Santa Ana, the right way to victory in Cuba began.
That day not only gave its name to the July 26 Revolutionary Movement, but also traced with its example the teaching of turning every setback into a triumph, with firm confidence in the promising future for which so many valuable heroes and heroines were lost.
Today the Cuban Medical Brigade in the Gambia (CMB) turns each day into victory, saving lives in this sister land of West Africa, demonstrating that the blood of our siblings was not shed in vain.
In the Bansang region, our surgeon Dr. Lianelys Pereira Betancout continues relentlessly to pay the debt we owe to humanity.
A 1-year-old girl arrived at her service who was brought in urgently due to abdominal pain and a lot of vomiting.
On physical examination she was diagnosed with a stuck epigastric hernia, the hernial defect was large and also umbilical.
She was treated urgently, previously treating electrolyte loss mainly due to vomiting, and intravenous saline solution was administered.
The hernia defect was repaired during surgery without complications. Her evolution was satisfactory, and two days later she was discharged.
With what joy Dr. Pereira contemplates the baby already operated and recovered, and she enjoys the gratitude of her parents, pleased and happy with her.
She tells us: «there is no greater pleasure than the smile of a healthy child, there is no greater reward for sacrifice than the satisfaction of restoring and saving a life, there is no greater pride than serving the motherland.»
Dr. Pereira, with women like you, we really can. The CMB in The Gambia goes firmly straight ahead for a better world.
(*) Professor and collaborator of the Cuban Medical Brigade in the Gambia
"An Island on a Continent" 