Roberto Morales Rodríguez is one of those people who believe that everything is possible, because his faith in life is greater than any difficulty, no matter how extreme it may be.

Medicine was in his soul since he was a child. According to him, he said without even being able to speak properly: “I want to be a doctor.”

He was not a doctor, because there were many years of study and he wanted to enjoy his youth; but it was very difficult for him to get away from the world where love for others is vital, so he ended up as a nurse specialized in intensive care.

Between question and question

Beyond meeting an ordinary man, full of fears, knowledge and strengths, his life story inspires and moves.

“I was working in intensive care and I had a routine checkup because I thought I had giardiasis, I had no symptoms that were worrying me, and the diagnosis was kidney cancer. There began a long fight against dead.

They took out my kidney, they detected metastases in my liver; being also hypertensive and diabetic. It progressed to chronic renal failure with hemodialysis treatment, and hardly had time to understand; my case was getting worse, I even suffered from a uremic frost. ”

My voice behind the telephone receiver trailed off and I could only stay silent to understand.

“In the midst of everything, I did not lose hope … When you take it for granted that you are not going to die, that conviction activates the mechanisms of the body to defend itself, and I concentrated on that.

So far my biotype was that of a fearful person; but my goal turned into a fight. I was 40 years old, I had a wife, three children; and one of them was only one year old. It had to be fine for them. And I started looking for how to reverse my reality. ”

His desire to live never made him recognize the seriousness of the case, to everyone who asked how he felt he responded with an absolute “good”.

“I began to attend church and a sister told me about the naturopathic treatments that were being done at the Carlos J. Finlay Institute in Havana. I got there with luck and determination. My wife stayed here at the head of the family and life, because I focused on healing.

There I learned about the macrobiotic diet and the 5 elements of it, the benefits of eating healthy as prevention and also treatment of chronic diseases like mine.

In an agreement with Italy we were taught for weeks to know each food and its health properties, how to make them, for example, brown rice that is basic in the diet; and even knowing what is the connection we must have with nature, from even the sole that our shoes use. ”

Those were unforgettable days for Roberto, he found testimonies of patients who healed his ailments and he met doctors who truly committed to the project such as Carmen Porrata and Concepción Campa.

Back to the land of Finlay

“When I saw the wonders of that diet, and compared it with my experience in therapy, seeing so many patients die with medicines and equipment; I decided to bring what I learned to my land that I love so much and where I knew I returned healthy. I felt grateful to God and to the life for the opportunity to have known a possibility of cure to my disease, and that good had to be shared.

I began to share my knowledge in the churches, then I had a consultation in Health Education, in the Federation of Cuban Women, I did programs in the mass media and in the Birthplace of Finlay, where the project has survived for more than 15 years.

I got to have every day of the week fully booked with more than 100 people in different auditoriums and even the living room of my house became a consultation. He tried to know the medical diagnosis and adapt what he learned, always respecting ethics. ”

The family

People were gaining confidence and even the doctors began to refer cases to Roberto. He has been giving love and knowledge for 18 years, he does that math using the age of his youngest son who was only one year old when it all began.

He also says that he is very proud of his eldest son who has followed the steps of a healthy diet, is a bodybuilder and promotes the culinary macrobiotic diet outside of Cuba.

A lifestyle or a way of healing

“With the macrobiotic diet a wonderful love story has been inscribed. If people ate healthy and responsibly, there would not be so many deaths. Substituting food that intoxicates with other healthy ones that maintains the health of the organs and the body as a whole, it is vital.

The Birthplace of Carlos J. Finlay, belonging to the Office of the Historian, has also been our home. Just a few days ago we had our first post-pandemic encounter; and we continue with many dreams in our hearts: to build a store like the one created by Eusebio Leal in Havana to make the food that it is needed and it is not easily found to and for the public who practices the diet, to have a restaurant that offers and teaches how to prepare the basic dishes and many more; because this is a story that can keep making dreams come true. ”

Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García