- Story by Erin McPhee Photography by Don Denton
Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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A conversation with her youngest daughter set Dr. Ana Teresa Armas Enriquez害羞草研究所檚 life in an entirely new, exciting direction.
Back in 2016, the Cuba native had just moved to Nanaimo with her husband and two girls after spending 12 years in Morden, Manitoba, practising rural medicine. She was becoming increasingly frustrated at the challenge of securing a permanent position at an existing medical practice in her new Vancouver Island home.
害羞草研究所淚 actually found it almost as hard to settle in the practice of medicine on the island as I encountered in getting my credentials recognized in Canada,害羞草研究所� she says.
Ana Teresa害羞草研究所檚 daughter, Camille, six years old at the time, patiently listened to her mother express her desire to hear back about a job, before asking her a series of eye-opening questions.
害羞草研究所満π卟菅芯克鶚Do they know how to do something you don害羞草研究所檛? Do they know how to run a business in a way that you don害羞草研究所檛? Then why is it that you don害羞草研究所檛 just do it yourself?害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟 Ana Teresa recalls her wise-beyond-her-years youngest inquiring.
害羞草研究所淚 looked at her and I said, 害羞草研究所榊ou害羞草研究所檙e right, I should probably do this alone.害羞草研究所� So I went and did it,害羞草研究所� she says.
Ana Teresa, 42, graduated from medical school in Havana before immigrating to Toronto in 2002. After arriving in Canada, she worked hard to become licensed to practice here, and spent a number of years working and learning all she could in what she considers her 害羞草研究所渉ome clinic害羞草研究所� in Morden. Reflecting on her experiences, she decided it was time to launch a solo practice, Women害羞草研究所檚 Vita Medical Clinic, and to do it her way.
害羞草研究所淚 decided this is my opportunity to take everything that I learned in medical school and medical practices in Cuba and Canada, make my own blend and make my true identity shine,害羞草研究所� she says. 害羞草研究所淭here are things from both places that I absolutely respect, and there are things from the two places that I absolutely think that they could do better.害羞草研究所�
A three women partnership 害羞草研究所� herself, a full-time nurse, Kassidy Delcaro, and receptionist Ani Rodriguez 害羞草研究所� Women害羞草研究所檚 Vita offers family medicine with a strong focus on women害羞草研究所檚 health. Ana Teresa treats women at every age and stage of their lives, often seeing them during challenging periods. She aims to offer a safe, supportive and accessible option for women. She also works in the hospital, treating patients in the emergency room, labour and delivery, and during longer stays.
害羞草研究所淚 love what I do for a living. I害羞草研究所檓 very, very blessed that I have a job that I absolutely love,害羞草研究所� she says.
Ana Teresa continues to advocate for more studies focused on women to better serve them as a whole, and works to integrate new technology into her practice. She also seeks to empower and educate her patients about their bodies, their specific health risks and how to take good care of themselves.
Growing up west of Havana as an only child 害羞草研究所� the daughter of an engineer and an accountant 害羞草研究所� Ana Teresa害羞草研究所檚 family thought she was destined to become a lawyer.
害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 the shortest of the entire family and I was one of the shortest of my entire school 害羞草研究所� but for sure I was the loudest,害羞草研究所� she says. 害羞草研究所淚 made my points.害羞草研究所�
Measuring five feet tall, she credits her strong-mindedness to her father害羞草研究所檚 side of the family and her perseverance to her mother, the combination of which helped her defy the odds and move to Canada.
害羞草研究所淚 feel like I had to be triple strong,害羞草研究所� she says. 害羞草研究所淔irst, because no matter which country you go to, women are still the greatest minority. Take that on top of being a foreign physician, and I had to prove myself many times. I want to be an example for my two daughters, showing that it害羞草研究所檚 not going to come easy, but getting there is your journey. If you persevere and put all your might and passion into it, and work really hard, you get to it, and then you become another example for the greater good.害羞草研究所�
Ana Teresa害羞草研究所檚 life during and after graduating medical school in Havana was challenging.
害羞草研究所淚 studied hungry with nothing to eat, with no light,害羞草研究所� she says. 害羞草研究所淵ou do all of this, and then you get out of there, you害羞草研究所檙e a doctor, you know your job, yet you don害羞草研究所檛 have food on your plate that was provided by your own work.害羞草研究所�
According to Ana Teresa, in Cuba, doctors are among the poorest professionals, and it is not unusual for tourists to find that their taxi driver or bed and breakfast host is also a surgeon or doctor.
害羞草研究所淚 didn害羞草研究所檛 want to do that; I wanted to be a doctor not having three jobs on the side. That害羞草研究所檚 not how I envisioned my life,害羞草研究所� she says.
害羞草研究所淚 love the culture I come from, and I love my family. I love the beaches 害羞草研究所� there害羞草研究所檚 no beauty in the Pacific Ocean that quite competes with the beauty of the Caribbean. But I had no hope. I graduated and I had to be fed by my parents and my parents-in-law. I had to be dressed by my grandmother. Those were the reasons to leave and never look back.害羞草研究所�
Wanting to provide a better life for herself and her future children led her to convince her husband, Joel Victores, an IT engineer, to join her in immigrating to Canada.
The couple met when Ana Teresa was 15 and they got married five years later.
害羞草研究所淚 don害羞草研究所檛 know if I can fathom my life without him,害羞草研究所� she says.
When she害羞草研究所檚 not practising medicine, Ana Teresa enjoys time with her family. Weekends are spent ferrying their girls, Cosette, 13 and Camille, nine, to different lessons and activities, and with her parents and brother-in-law, who have followed in their footsteps, similarly moving from Cuba and settling in Nanaimo.
During quieter times, she can be found immersed in a good book and or experimenting with a new recipe 害羞草研究所� Mediterranean cuisine is a family favourite.
害羞草研究所淲e live near Brannen Lake in Nanaimo, which is a blessing. My neighbourhood feels like I live in a resort all year round,害羞草研究所� she says.
害羞草研究所淧art of the beauty of living on the island is that you can go anywhere. I enjoy the drive to Port Alberni and looking at the lakes and mountains. We go to Coombs often. We go and look for shells on the beach. I grew up doing that in Cuba害羞草研究所nd then we go and do some art with those shells or the treasures we find on the shores. It害羞草研究所檚 beautiful; you don害羞草研究所檛 need to invest in anything, all you need is to look around and your spirts are uplifted with the beauty of the nature around us.害羞草研究所�
You can check out Dr. Ana Teresa Armas Enriquez害羞草研究所檚 clinic .
