September 12, 2026 from Havana
Oncology doctors in the Fajardo Hospital with Amado Riol, You Have to Love Cuba and Gerardo Hernandez, head of the CDR’s. foto: Bill Hackwell
The Trump Administration tries its hardest to portray the Cuban people as being broken and defeated as they face a full blown blockade that has gone on for over 65 years. Marco Rubio rants and raves every Thursday as he tightens it down in new ways of deprivation. Meanwhile the Cuban people, as they endure these hardships, are anything but defeated. Here is just one story of thousands where Cubans are improvising and connecting on the community level. Most of these stories go untold. They take place without media attention or credit but they are a fundamental way of operating with a collective consciousness to overcome this economic war against them. Here is a glimpse of the day to day struggle for food and medical care from the You Have to Love Cuba project. – Resumen
Amado Riol: You Have to Love Cuba
Amadito, as everyone knows him, works at the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs but that has not stopped him from using his free time to serve his beloved Cuba, its people, and the Revolution in other essential and creative ways.
With his great compassion, he created the project “You Have to Love Cuba.” Without resources, without a budget, and giving his all day after day, he works to soothe, encourage and help heal many wounds. You can see him—always with a smile—at 5 a.m. in the hallways of Fajardo Hospital with a thermos of coffee for the doctors on call; or delivering medicines to the Oncology ward that to the workers at Comunales; and another day, they find him in the pediatric ward of the Oncology Hospital with a load of vegetables and fruits donated by the FAR. This story, may not make headlines anywhere in the world but it pays tribute to Cuban workers, to Amadito, and to the You Have to Love Cuba project that works closely with the Committees in Defense of the Revolution (CDR). The project has an emergency component to it that connects critical medical material from one hospital to another that has a more immediate need. Perhaps even greater is the effort of the project that brings encouragement with each delivery.
II A Heartwarming Story: Coffee for the Doctors on Call!
When you arrive at an on-call ward at night or in the early morning, the doctors tell you: “A little cup of coffee would be nice to keep up the fight.” This past Sunday, Amado dropped off coffee for the on-call staff at Fructuoso Rodríguez Hospital, the INOR Oncology Emergency Department, and the Fajardo Observation Unit… many people give me coffee to pass on to the doctors—it’s already a tradition alongside the medications and medical supplies; even my neighbors pitch in… Today I delivered coffee that my sister Yoanka gave me from the Cairde Cuba project, and yes, the doctors and nurses are coffee lovers… this coffee is another token of our affection for those dedicated to saving lives in this difficult year of 2026. I raise a cup of coffee to the health of our doctors and nurses!
Amado Riol Coordinator “You Have to Love Cuba” September 6, 2026
11 a.m.
III The Most Beautiful Thing We Achieved
Emergency delivery of medicine for a pending operation..foto: Bill Hackwell
Actually, from my perspective, it was seeing the faces of joy and happiness on the mothers’ faces in the pediatric ward at the Oncology Hospital when we arrived there and I told them: Look what I brought for your children: vegetables, root vegetables, and fruits that the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) gave me for them—all fresh, straight from the field. I’d never had that experience with so many mothers in that ward before; I saw it on their faces—joy, enthusiasm—and now, as the day comes to a close, I think about how beautiful it was. I think about the courage and humanity of the FAR soldiers who spoke to me today about helping and supporting the children.
Okay September 7th is coming to an end, I tell myself before going to sleep: It’s worth fighting to bring joy to the lives of other people—of Cuban mothers!
Thank you, FAR!
Amado Riol “You Have to Love Cuba” September 7, 2026
Lately, I’ve seen Roman worried about the health of one of his workers who was diagnosed with cancer. Not only has he been concerned, but he’s also taken action—even going so far as to knock on my door with extraordinary humility and arranging for the worker to see doctors… I believe the people are unaware of the sacrifices made by the workers at Guiteras. After the plant grew old and was blockaded and sanctioned by Cuba’s enemies, in my opinion, Guiteras should have been shut down for good, but that hasn’t happened. These workers—very humble people—get it up and running, keep it going, working outside the system, and they return to their boilers, risking their lives, and get it running again—against all odds—to produce electricity in a country where a neighboring, cruel empire is ordering people to be killed.
Thanks to the Director of Guiteras for his example; a thousand thanks to those men who get metal shavings in their eyes—they remove them and return to the fray amid high temperatures and low oxygen levels—even though the plant is up and running they often return home to find they have no electricity. I am proud to say that we have been able to help that worker, and we have found some medicine for the eyes of the workers who need to have the foreign particles removed. I write this with passion and admiration, in honor of these unsung heroes—often misunderstood—who keep running what shouldn’t be running and they keep bringing it back online with the national power grid, at the risk of their lives.
Thank you, Roman, for your struggle, for your example. May life grant you good health, and may it grant good health to all so we can continue fighting for Cuba!
Amado Riol “You Have to Love Cuba” September 8, 2026
This Sunday, someone knocked on my door asking for food; I gave them my meal. I believe that almost no one realizes we’re at war—and yet we certainly are.
There are two factors that prove it: We’ve been under siege for nine months and threatened with military attack; the media coverage is evident on our cell phones. The second major factor proving that we are at war is the Cubans who are dying due to a lack of medical supplies and a lack of fuel. And the enemy has not the slightest intention of lifting the siege.
A man with schizophrenia who regularly comes to my door to get his medication begged me today like a child for food. I thought about it, and the only food I had available was what I was going to eat myself, so I gave it to him.
After all, yesterday was my birthday, and I was showered with cake and bread. It just so happened that a young man from my workplace, Alejandro Guemaras, witnessed what happened, and he told me afterward:
“We all have to pitch in to help; this is everyone’s responsibility,” and I think that’s true—we all have to help. That’s why I’m writing this—because if you’re part of this “You Have to Love Cuba” project, really think about who you can help in your neighborhood, in your apartment building, at your job—who you can give a plate of food to or a medication… no excuses… we’re at war… I’ve never seen a god; only Americans say they met with him and that’s when he gave them the task of ruling the world, although in truth, there are no audio recordings or videos of that meeting.
But if there is a god or gods in heaven, they must be watching the abuse our people are suffering… and I must say that our people deserve a monument bigger than the city of Washington… well, let’s help—with an outstretched hand, a kind heart, and a clear mind to figure out the best way to overcome adversity. On our knees? Please, never…
Long live Cuba—I say this with love. Forward.
Amado Riol “You Have to Love Cuba” September 9, 2026
I’d been given a bottle of Havana Club for my birthday! Today, seeing the Comunales workers toiling hard under the sun, I gave it to them. Please, only after they’ve finished working!
I always tell our donors to bring us Peripheral IV catheters—they’re so widely used in operating rooms and intensive care units, and we’re always in need of them.
I’m not a doctor, but I listen to them and to the nurses, and honestly, we always need them for our donations. Here’s some information on their uses:
Color codes by gauge:
September 9, 2026
parents picking up sodium valproate
I want to express my admiration and gratitude to Comrade Kmilo of the CDR-Cuba for helping out yesterday in an intensive care unit where there were children. He responded to an emergency call for help. Comrade Kmilo truly stepped up and mobilized a group of us comrades. My gratitude also goes to the Deputy Director of INOR, Dr. Cecilia, whose center donated the necessary resources. What times we live in—and in these times, the children of Cuba are in the thick of the fight! We resist and we fight! Sharing what we have based on the greatest need.
Note: Today it was the parents’ turn to come pick up the sodium valproate, a medicine to stop seizures—I can’t help but be moved!
Every parent speaks with pain about their daughter’s or son’s battle against seizures. Thank you to everyone who donates this medication so that the children don’t have seizures. How many dangers do you face when you have a seizure?…. You face many dangers.
Let’s tell the truth, straight up: Minsap purchased this medication for our children—for the children of Cuba—for one year. But the United States is holding up the container in Colombia… I’ll let our people have their say; I’m opening the debate!
The first time I met this mother, she was crying because she needed medication to control her little girl’s seizures. Today she’s happy—she knows she has our support, free of charge. Her smile is beautiful and contagious; I bow in gratitude to everyone who has donated sodium valproate so that our children won’t have seizures.
A mother’s love—the greatest love in life—means every day is Mother’s Day.
We’ll keep fighting epilepsy!
Amado Riol Pirez Project Coordinator “You Have to Love Cuba”
We’ve just received this donation of tramadol to help combat cancer-related pain, which we’ll distribute to the Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology, as well as the Oncology Services at Manuel Fajardo Hospital.
In these difficult—very difficult—times, the Canary-Cuban Network of Solidarity with Cuba and a patriotic Cuban, José Luis Mosqueda, have made it possible for us to receive this support, which we will deliver immediately.
Amado Riol Pírez, Coordinator of the “You Have to Love Cuba” Project.
I wasn’t going to share this, but it’s worth it!
There are already many things I can share. About the doctors tenderness toward the so-called homeless or vagrants. I received several calls from them; they needed a deep venous access—it was urgent.
When I arrived with the deep venous access kit, they were jumping for joy. They explained to me, “She’s a vagrant; she doesn’t speak. We bathed her, brought her clothes from home, and with this, we’re going to save her.”
I watched the young people—they were elated to save that woman’s life, and they succeeded.
Another special moment was seeing an elderly woman with an oxygen mask telling Dr. Thalia, “I’m fading away,” and the doctor, with a special tenderness, replied, “You’re not going to fade away—that’s why I’m here.”
It was a promise from a young woman in these difficult times to a grandmother. That promise ended with the doctor’s hand gently stroking the white hair of a frail grandmother—and the grandmother didn’t fade away. A few days later, she went home.
One night, a call came in from the on-call team. “We have a 95-year-old grandmother—do you have Rosefín?” I said yes and went with the antibiotic.
There was joy around the grandmother. Reinforcements had arrived. “Don’t worry—we’re going to give her Rosefín right away.”
A few days later, a young doctor called me on my cell phone and said, “I’m calling to tell you that we saved the 95-year-old grandmother—she was discharged. We did it, brother.”
Thank you to the young doctors for setting such a great example!
I love you all more and more every day!
Amado Riol Pirez, Coordinator of the “You Have to Love Cuba” Project
September 10, 2026
Source: Cuba en Resumen