In the town of Maffo, municipality of Contramaestre, those who know Ilúz Mustelier Moreno, know that she graduated in Nursing, but perhaps they do not know that this paramedic has 40 years of uninterrupted professional experience in her service record.
For this paramedic, her work is the passion that nests in her soul as an expression of courage deployed, carrying on her shoulders the vocation of a service in defense of Cuban medicine.
Journalist: Did you always dream of becoming a nurse?
Ilúz Mustelier Moreno: Yes, of course. Since I was a child I dreamed of being a nurse, imagine? I was born for this. It is in my blood to care for others, to attend to them, to take care of them, and although I could have studied medicine, I preferred to be closer to people, and with nursing I have that guaranteed. Hence my preference for the Primary Health Care Program, and that is why I have always worked in the Family Medical Clinic.
Journalist: Do you cultivate the sensitivity demanded by your profession?
Ilúz Mustelier Moreno: It takes a long time to answer… “Look, to have this job you have to be sensitive to the importance of what we do and the consequences of not doing it. Putting yourself in the other person’s shoes is also important. Caring for newborns, school-age children, young people, adults, the elderly, the entire population, is a daily commitment, a commitment that makes you grow, it is love that comes from the soul. From the moment I took on this job, I internalized what my responsibilities were.
“It is an immense honor to belong to the Army of White Coats, because of what it means today and always to be trained in a career that is chosen with love, is built with great vocation and grows with the commitment to take care of the most valuable thing we human beings have: which is life”.
Journalist: Venezuela opened its arms to you, how was that experience as an international nurse?
In the town of Maffo, municipality of Contramaestre, those who know Ilúz Mustelier Moreno, know that she graduated in Nursing, but perhaps they don’t know that this paramedic has 40 years of uninterrupted professional experience in her service record.
For this paramedic, her work is the passion that nests in her soul as an expression of courage deployed, carrying on her shoulders the vocation of a service in defense of Cuban medicine.
Journalist: Did you always dream of becoming a nurse?
Ilúz Mustelier Moreno: Yes, of course. Since I was a child I dreamed of being a nurse, imagine? I was born for this. It is in my blood to care for others, to attend to them, to take care of them, and although I could have studied medicine, I preferred to be closer to people, and with nursing I have that guaranteed. Hence my preference for the Primary Health Care Program, and that is why I have always worked in the Family Medical Clinic.
Journalist: Do you cultivate the sensitivity demanded by your profession?
Ilúz Mustelier Moreno: It takes a long time to answer… “Look, to have this job you have to be sensitive to the importance of what we do and the consequences of not doing it. Putting yourself in the other person’s shoes is also important.
“Caring for newborns, school-age children, young people, adults, the elderly, the entire population, is a daily commitment, a commitment that makes you grow, it is love that comes from the soul. Since I took on this job, I have internalized my responsibilities.
It is an immense honor to belong to the Army of White Coats because of what it means today and always to be trained in a career that is chosen for love, is built with great vocation and grows with the commitment to take care of the most valuable thing we human beings have: which is life”.
Journalist: Venezuela opened its arms to you, how was that experience?
Ilúz Mustelier Moreno: Yes, it was a very nice, unique experience. There I grew as always in front of sick patients who needed to be cured. In that sister nation, the humanism of Cuban paramedics was put to the test with altruism, commitment and fidelity to the homeland above all. It was an unforgettable contribution for so many experiences.
When you fulfill an international mission, you feel fulfilled, it enriches your life spiritually, you see things that were unimaginable, you see life differently. You don’t know what Cuba is worth until you leave this little piece of land. I must also recognize the absence of family, you miss it, nostalgia sometimes takes over you, but you have to have the conviction that you leave your island to save lives in need of your services.
Journalist: If you were born again, would you be a nurse?
Ilúz Mustelier Moreno: I like being a nurse and I’ve been very happy being a nurse in Cuba, in my Contramaestre, because I’ve had the joy of being nourished by the humanism of the Revolution.
Journalist: Satisfied with being a nurse is Ilúz Mustelier Moreno, a paramedic from the town of Maffo, who cherishes in her soul a profession to which she has devoted 40 years of her life with love, passion and humanism.
