Once a refugee, now a surgeon: Raimundo Pastor, DO, shares his journey

Raimundo Pastor, DO, was just 18 when he made the dangerous sea journey from Cuba to Key West, Florida, as part of 1980’s Mariel boatlift, which saw tens of thousands of Cuban refugees arrive in the U.S. Although he spoke no English and had traveled without his family, Dr. Pastor had no hesitation about his professional goals: He wanted to be a physician. He’d already finished his undergraduate education and one year of medical school in Cuba, but had to start over in the U.S. For the next 12 years, Dr. Pastor attended school full-time while working full-time to support his education.

Dr. Pastor, now a general surgeon at Beaumont Hospital in Farmington Hills, Michigan, says those years were challenging. “It was difficult and I would get discouraged,” he says. “But I held onto my dream of becoming a doctor.”

Dr. Pastor, who was recently profiled in The Beaumont Blog, takes a holistic approach to treating seriously ill and injured patients. “I believe medicine is a mix of art and science,” he says. “I desire to alleviate my patients’ suffering and strive to give the highest-quality care along with kindness, compassion and honesty.”

To read more of Dr. Pastor’s story, visit the Beaumont Blog.