CUCHO A Journey from Cuba to Freedom

CUCHO A Journey from Cuba to Freedom is the incredible story of sacrifice, dedication, and love by Cuban refugee Louis (Cucho) Balart, a remarkable man who escaped Fidel Castro's revolutionary take-over of Cuba,and his personal struggle for freedom lost and regained. Cucho's experience reminds all of us how fragile freedom can be. Louis Balart had been a prominent, practicing physician in Cuba, but when he came to America he was unable to pursue his profession. Undaunted, and with much effort, he helped change the law and eventually received his license to practice and even taught at LSU Medical School. In telling his story, Cucho stresses the important difference between the terms immigrant and refugee. His own great-grandparents immigrated to Haiti from France in pursuit of financial gain, but ended up as refugees fleeing Haiti for Cuba to escape the anti-European sentiment threatening their freedom and lives. Cucho too fled his homeland as a refugee in fear for his family, and immigrated to New Orleans to seek the freedom that had been too easily taken from him, a lesson for citizens everywhere. Sadly, 92 year old Cucho, died just a few days before he was to see his finished book which had taken over two years of hard work and collaboration with author Edward L. Rispone.