Hugs that go straight to the heart
By Llamara Padro-Milano
On Sept. 30, an urgent email came from my union president, Wayne Spence, asking members of the New York State Public Employees Federation and AFL-CIO union members to volunteer in a humanitarian mission that would leave for Puerto Rico in two days. I had been watching the news reports and had not been able to contact my family on the island since Hurricane Maria struck. I knew I had to be there. Six of us from PEF, accompanied by more than 300 union brothers and sisters from different locals all over the country, flew from Newark, N.J., to Puerto Rico on a donated United Airlines flight.
We went with one heart and one purpose — to help the people of Puerto Rico.
As the plane was landing, I did not recognize my island. It looked as though it had been ravaged by a huge fire. I’d always taken for granted that Puerto Rico would always look the same — green and lush, not burnt and broken. As tears slid down my face, I recalled other times when I had looked forward to my visits, the island shining like an emerald, so green and vibrant.
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz welcomed us warmly and thanked us for coming to help the people of Puerto Rico, people who at this very moment were dying, sick, hungry and thirsty.
We were divided into eight teams, each consisting of a doctor, nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant as the team leads, plus nurses, local high school and university students, and Teamsters members. On the first day, our team was taken to San Juan’s Playita neighborhood, at the edge of Villa Palmeras, next to a water treatment plant and the shore of the San José Lagoon. Most of these communities were formed where mangroves once grew, very close to the sea. So when Hurricane Maria struck, it left Playita destroyed and flooded with contaminated water, totally inaccessible.
We met a community liaison who walked us through the area. It was shocking and sad to see the devastation firsthand. We ran a pop-up clinic in an older gentleman’s open garage while others on our team went door to door. Every stop was the same: folks with roofs gone and all their belongings wet and moldy. We came back the next day and opened another pop-up clinic in a local church. We treated infected wounds and eyes and elevated blood pressures and blood sugars. People were dehydrated and hungry. Most had run out of medications.
Our health mission transformed to an emergency response mission because people needed water, food and medicine.
As we provided these basics, we also taught people how to purify water with bleach and water purification tablets, and about hand hygiene and infection control. Black mold was everywhere we looked, so we also gave verbal and written instructions on how to remove mold. Every one of those people needed to know that they had not been forgotten, and they were so thankful for any little thing we would do. Sometimes, I just needed to hold a hand and listen to a patient’s story. Sometimes, a hug and a smile are just as important as a blood pressure check.
My favorite story comes from a little town called Cupéy Bajo, where I met a couple in their 80s who have been married for 54 years. They are so resilient. The roof of their home is gone. They were using tea lights at night, so I gave the husband a small flashlight, and the smile he gave me in return was a gift I will carry in my heart forever. We checked their medications and worked with our community liaison for assistance in filing FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) forms and obtaining tarps. As we parted, the wife hugged me, held my hand and said in Spanish, “When my house is fixed, come back so I can cook for you.” Our tearful eyes met after a warm hug. That’s the Puerto Rican spirit. Even when we have almost nothing, we are taught to share.
Later in the first week, I met my sister for the first time after not hearing from her for about 12 days. We just hugged and sobbed. The group hug became larger as my nephew and his fiancé jumped in amid tears of joy and relief. Over dinner, they told me how scary and intense the hurricane had been, and described how their daily lives had changed from living without electricity and running water. The endless lines for groceries, gasoline, water and ice had become their new reality.
I will always remember and cherish that hug, when we clung to each other fiercely and were so appreciative that we had managed to be together at that exact moment. As Mayor Cruz said, “Some hugs go straight to your heart.” This one did, as did others from the incredibly kind people I met and helped, and from the volunteers who soon became my extended family.
The next day brought a visit from Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, starting with a live rooftop interview with CNN. Later we set out to meet members of the AFT-affiliated teachers union in Puerto Rico, the Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico, for a pop-up clinic and distribution of food and water. When we returned from Guayama and Yabucoa, Randi gave an emotional speech about our work and the gratitude she felt because we had answered the call to volunteer for the people of Puerto Rico when they needed it most — three weeks after a historic hurricane, when many Puerto Ricans feared that fellow U.S. citizens on the mainland had forgotten them.
Finally, a day of rest, gratitude and celebration. My own gratitude included the college students here in the picture with me at left who volunteered to help us. They are the future of Puerto Rico — intelligent and social media savvy. They are humanitarian heroes.
Mayor Cruz treated us to a wonderful afternoon of traditional food, Bomba music and dance. Our leaders and the mayor danced right along with us. After all we had seen and done, it was a wonderful respite.
But our last two days brought home just how apocalyptic the lives of Puerto Ricans have become. For me, as someone who has been going to the island all my life and as someone who grew up with one foot in New York and the other in Puerto Rico, it broke my heart.
We learned from firsthand experience that folks in small villages in the hill country and on the west side of the island need continued support if they are expected to survive this disaster. We must continue to address and prevent waterborne diseases due to tainted water. Long-term solutions through water filtration systems, solar lights and solar chargers for phones, as well as food that is nutritious and calorie dense, are some of the most basic and immediate needs.
My union brothers and sisters came together to reach a common goal in the most incredible display of solidarity I have ever seen. It was truly inspiring. Nurses, doctors, nurse practitioners, physicians and Teamsters from all over America worked together. We made a difference. We had a positive impact. And thanks to the strength of the island’s people, hope rises daily from the rubble. They are hungry, they are thirsty, they have nothing, but not once did I hear anger or complaining. What I saw was resiliency and true gratitude that they and their families were alive.
Puerto Rico will lift itself up. Or, as we say: “Puerto Rico Se Levanta.”
During the bus ride to the airport, I called my family on the island whom I hadn’t had a chance to see, and again my heart broke for those we would be leaving behind. At the airport, there were more tearful hugs and promises to stay in touch and return. Many of us are still helping from the mainland through many efforts, including the AFT’s Operation Agua. We have now reached $1 million in contributions but the need is still great.
My hope is that all who read this understand a little more of Puerto Rico’s reality, and that with our concentrated help, we can continue to make a difference to a warm, kind and truly generous people, my people — our people — U.S. citizens. Thank you to my teams in Puerto Rico and on the mainland, and to all my union brothers and sisters. You are inspiring, loving humans. I am so proud and honored to stand among my union family. Gracias. Unions get the job done!
Please find it in your heart to give to the Operation Agua campaign to provide water filtration systems to families and municipalities throughout Puerto Rico.
Llamara Padro-Milano, RN, BSN, CLC, is a nurse in the Family Birth Center at the State University of New York’s Upstate University Hospital at the Community Campus in Syracuse, N.Y. She is an active member of the AFT-affiliated New York State Public Employees Federation as a steward, executive board member and statewide nurses committee member.
