Donating hope: my commitment to St. Jude

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I arrived in the United States from Cuba with nothing but the clothes on my back. I carried no suitcase, but I did carry huge hopes. I also brought with me a medical education that, although it didn’t yet grant me a license to practice in this country, still pulsed within me with the same strength it had the first day I wore a white coat.

Those first moments were a mix of vertigo and gratitude. Everything was new. Everything was uncertain. Then one day, I heard about St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. I learned about the hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, where children with cancer and other serious illnesses are treated, and their families never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food — so they can focus on helping their child live. A place where medicine is not measured in figures but in humanity, and where science and hope walk hand in hand.

That moved me deeply.

I had a willing heart and the conviction that even in uncertainty, one can always plant seeds. And so, I made my first donation. Small, because I had almost nothing — but symbolic. Full of meaning. I did it as someone who plants a seed believing that one day it will grow and offer shade to others.

That day, I also made myself a promise: that once I had my license to practice medicine in the United States, my commitment to St. Jude would be even greater.

Today, when I look back, I don’t dwell on how difficult the journey was, but on that small decision to give what little I had. Because it was that choice that sustained me emotionally during the hardest days. Sometimes, when you choose to belong to something bigger than yourself, life transforms you.

For me, being a doctor is not just about practicing medicine. It’s about serving. It’s about committing to those who suffer, even when you yourself carry your own pain. That’s why St. Jude is part of my story — because it gave me a way to keep being who I am, even when everything was still being built.

Supporting this institution is not simply an act of generosity. It is a deep commitment to life, to science and to the dignity of every child hoping for tomorrow.

I believe that as Hispanics who have arrived in this land of opportunity, we have the responsibility to honor our journey. Our legacy must go beyond work and effort; it must also be one of generosity, compassion and solidarity.

St. Jude represents the best of the human spirit. My ask is to teach new generations that true success is not measured only in individual achievements, but in how much we were able to transform someone else’s pain into shared hope.