Eight years after leaving Cuba, a Cuban pediatric surgeon residing in the United States has shared an emotional message about what it has meant to leave behind her country, her family, and the profession she fought so hard for, in order to start a new life without giving up on her dream of continuing to practice medicine.
The Cuban woman, known on TikTok as CubanitaVIP (@maraivisromero323), shared a video in which she recalls the day she emigrated and reflects on the sacrifices, challenges, and opportunities she has encountered during these years away from her homeland.
"Today marks 8 years since I left Cuba, 8 years since I left behind my land, my family, my friends, and also the place where I learned to do this that you see here," he begins, showing his hands, the same hands with which he performed operations on the island for years.
For her, emigrating was not just about changing countries. It also meant confronting a different language, new rules, and the challenge of rebuilding a professional career that she had achieved with great effort.
"I left a country where I had fulfilled one of my greatest dreams, to become a surgeon, and emigrating meant starting all over again in another country, with a different language, with different rules, but with the same hands and the same passion," she expresses.
Despite the difficulties, the Cuban assures that eight years later, she still feels the same excitement every time she enters an operating room. Although she still has professional goals to achieve, she has not lost the enthusiasm to keep moving forward.
In the comments on her post, the protagonist herself clarified how she has managed to stay connected to the surgical field in the United States while continuing her professional training.
"I'll explain, here we can obtain the Surgical First Assistant license and work as a surgeon. I still have exams to pass. Thank you for your comment," she responded to one of the users.
The role of Surgical First Assistant corresponds to a professional who provides direct assistance to the surgeon during surgical procedures. This is a function distinct from that of a fully licensed surgeon in the United States, where foreign degrees do not automatically qualify one to practice medicine.
The process of professional reintegration poses a challenge for many Cuban doctors who have emigrated. In May 2026, CiberCuba reported on around 300 Cuban doctors who were facing difficulties in advancing their professional certification processes due to their migratory status.
In Florida, additionally, measures were approved in 2024 aimed at facilitating the practice of doctors trained abroad, through alternative pathways subject to certain requirements.
Other Cuban professionals have also managed to progress on this path. Among them are doctors with I-220A forms who have successfully rebuilt their careers in the United States, despite the challenges they have faced.
However, beyond the exams and paperwork, the message from this Cuban surgeon is primarily a declaration of love for the profession she chose and to which she is unwilling to give up.
"Life taught me that even when we have to start from scratch, what we truly love finds a way to accompany us," she reflects.
And he concludes his message with a few words dedicated to those hands that symbolize his vocation and everything he has managed to overcome since leaving Cuba:
"Today I look back and give thanks for everything I have experienced, for the people who have helped me along the way, and for each opportunity that has allowed me to continue working in an operating room."
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