I was born in 1968 in Coral Gables. I have a twin brother and we were the biggest twins born in Doctor’s Hospital ever. We moved to Kendall and I still live in the 10-block radius where I grew up. I had been a banker for 20 years but in 2008 the industry plummeted, so […]

On Christmas Day, 1961, I lost my innocence. Instead of waking up to presents given by loving parents, family and friends, I received goodbyes from aunts, uncles, cousins, school friends, my dog, my town, my school, my parents and my grandmother. In my suitcase, I packed my memories. Would I ever see my beloved Güines […]

We are all aware that Fidel Castro passed away on Nov. 25, 2016, over the Thanksgiving weekend. We may see photographs and videos of Fidel Castro for decades to come, but we will not see him any longer. I have seen news clips of Cuban-Americans dancing in the streets with great joy on their faces, […]

I remember the summer night that challenged me to find peace within myself and serenity in my neighborhood. It was the summer of 2015, 2:00 a.m., Kendrick Lamar’s album “To Pimp a Butterfly” was playing, and I was just getting off from working the night shift at the Worldwide Marriott call center in Doral. After sitting […]

My Miami story begins in the late 1940s with my birth at Christian Hospital in Overtown. Six years later, my identical twin brothers were born at Mount Sinai Hospital. Things do change. The twins have always called me “Doll.” They couldn’t pronounce my name. Since I had so many dolls, that name made sense. I […]

I was born in New Jersey in the wonderful year of 1958. I was raised in Jersey City, and there on the Jersey shore is where my child-rearing and life-saving career began. I was in New Jersey through my formative years in high school and going to college. During the summer, I started working as […]

This story was transcribed from an interview during the opening night of HistoryMiami Museum’s ‘Hurricane Andrew: 25 Years Later’ exhibit. It was recorded in the Miami Stories booth, a partnership between WLRN and the HistoryMiami Museum. I grew up in Miami so I’ve been through a lot of hurricanes. I remember in high school just […]