Mayabeque, Cuba: More than five years have passed since the first time I spoke with the pediatric specialist, Dr. Olga López Leyva. I remember that first meeting that captivated me with her simple and colloquial way of communicating. Even when she was overflowing with knowledge, she used simple and understandable words.
Then I saw her again in the year two thousand and 19, when after the coup d’état to the president-elect of Bolivia, Evo Morales, the doctor returned to her home, on the north coast of Mayabeque. In that reunion marked by the sadness of the days lived in the sister Andean nation, doctor Olga showed firmness, strength of character, but above all, a heart full with tenderness and love for a profession that she has embraced for more than three decades.
Today I saw her again, this time in a red zone to combat COVID 19. Her image struck me a lot, more than the previous times. She was not wearing any makeup, nor that smile that rubs off and characterizes her.
Her withered face, her withered eyes, and her leisurely gait showed physical and mental exhaustion. With a kind and sweet voice, the head of the pediatric ward of the Alberto Fernández Hospital-Polyclinic, told me that for seven days she cared for more than forty Sars Cov 2 positive children, and her companions.
Tension, stress, worry and fear left their marks on the brave doctor. Her skill and wisdom are manifested as her main weapons to wage this fierce battle against the deadly invisible enemy. Full of emotion, I asked this great woman, mother and exceptional human being, to grant me a snapshot.
The doctor, with the sincerity and modesty that characterize her, confessed to me; “I do not like the photos”. However, she kindly agreed, so that I could show the silhouette covered by the protective clothing from which emanates as light, the image of the healing angel of the pediatric specialist Olga López Leyva.