Three Weeks in Havana. Part 1: Fidel Va a Vivir Cien Anos.

We went into a hospital off the city to see the doctor who is in charge of treating my mother's illness. My mother has cancer. It started as a tumor in one of the kidneys that was removed a year ago. After whats she started the protocol of treatment for this kind of illness, an every two days injection of interferons that supposedly was going to kill the remaining malignant cells in her pelvis.

My mother stood the treatment, for seven months, like the sturdy medieval warrior branding Excalibur sword against the devil. Every day of her life during those seven months were like descending with Virgil into the deepest chambers of hell only to come back alive and breathing crave for the holy grail.  But the holy grail didn't come and instead we found ourselves facing that doctor who told us that that my mother illness was a rare strain of cancer resistant to chemo and radio therapy. Even resistant to interferons.

But there was hope. Hope came in the form of another doctor who conducted an essay on a new kind of vaccine that held promise. The promise were in the numbers. The essay has ended roughly three years ago and two thirds of the patients treated were still alive. One third went unresponsive but, two thirds... that was hope. We left the hospital in high spirits and quickly forgot the dirty bathroom.

The doctor asked us to call back to schedule an appointment to start the treatment. That was like a month ago. The vaccines are no were to be seen yet. Although last time I spoke to my mother she told me that they found the vaccines. There is hope again.

But the real hope came from a naturist doctor. A biologist who turned out to be a colleague of my mother during her youth. Children of the Revolution. Reminiscing about the old times building Socialism, of which both of them are so proud, it was revealed to me that the doctor has a high profile figure among his patients. High profile enough to infuse him with enough authority to follow up whatever treatment he recommends.

The biologist doctor first changed my mother's diet. He also recommend it one beer for breakfast, that's it. And three shots of aguardiente-rum of pure sugar cane a day. You heard well. I was startled by his suggestion but he told me that alcohol is only bad when there is no food, because of the liver. So every time you drink alcohol you should also eat something. But that alcohol was not a problem in itself. On the other hand, cigar was (is) a big problem. You should not smoke, but drinking moderately and eating vegetarian food and fish is ok. Other than that you should not eat sugar and nothing chemically processed. Only organic, natural. The doctor also prescribed some pills that he himself concocts from his nature's garden.

Three of four days after the doctors visit my mother seems different. Her color in her face is reddish, she looks alive and not pale like she was before going to see the biologist doctor. She also regained strength and has lots of energy, enough to argue and rattle with her children, as usual.

I remember the biologist telling my mother and me his biggest secret while we were at his consultation: "Fidel is going to live 100 years." I'm glad, that means my mother also will.

P.S. Neither did.