Humacao, Puerto Rico – Being an example can guide and inspire, and without intending to, it can steer the steps of those who observe with love and admiration, especially when it comes to a father.
This is exemplified by a family from Humacao that has dedicated their professional lives to the visual health. Among them are Dr. José L. Benítez Aponte, an ophthalmologist; his son, Gabriel Benítez Bajandas, who practices in the same field with a specialization in Retinology; and Pilar M. Benítez Bajandas, who works as an optician, all of them at the Benítez Ophthalmological Center.
Dr. Benítez Aponte, known for his career that began in Humacao in 1988, explained that he never intended for his children to choose the same medical specialty, describing each of them as “free spirits.” However, fate brought two of them together under the same service offering.
“I don’t really believe it was something I passed on to them; it was something they chose because I never pressured them into it. However, as children, they used to come to the office and showed interest in what I was doing, especially Gabriel. He used to help me; people called him ‘the little doctor,'” Benítez Aponte recounted.
But for his son Gabriel, that experience was so significant that the future seemed clear from his childhood and adolescence. Accompanying his father in the office gradually transformed into a genuine professional interest.
“I worked with him during the summers. Sometimes, if I was lucky, I would even go with him to the operating room and watch him perform the surgeries, and that was the greatest thing; being able to dress up as a doctor as a child and imagine myself becoming one. From a young age, that was my passion; it was what I always thought I would be,” Gabriel explained.
Benítez Aponte completed his specialization in Ophthalmology at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center while serving in the Air Force. Upon finishing his studies, he returned to Humacao with uncertainty about whether he would succeed in his practice. At that time, in contrast to today, there were at least seven other professionals in the same specialty in the town.
His main source of confidence, he said, was his local connection, being a doctor born and raised in the Peña Pobre neighborhood of Naguabo but spending most of his life in the city of Humacao.
He planted the seed
Beyond the profession or the benefits of practicing in the field of ophthalmology, the personality and patient care skills of their father stood out for both children, Gabriel and Pilar, as professionals and as a father.
“As a doctor, what distinguishes him is his humility; he’s someone who treats all his patients as if he knows them. Dad is someone you can go to for any advice; he’ll thoroughly analyze the situation to give you good advice. He has a way of thinking that makes us open our minds when we don’t understand what’s happening or when we complain, he makes us see that there’s a broader perspective than what we had initially seen,” Pilar described.
Currently, Pilar is responsible for administrative aspects within the center and also leads the creation of PMi Boutique, a concept of exclusive frames in the area of optometry at the ophthalmological offices.
However, before delving into this field, she studied communications and obtained a bachelor’s degree in Advertising and a master’s degree in Public Relations at the University of the Sacred Heart (USC). However, due to the challenges that working in the communications field can sometimes pose, she decided to give herself the opportunity to work in the office alongside her father and brother. This change sparked a passion for eyeglasses, leading her to study Optical Sciences at the Interamerican University of Ponce, and she is currently preparing to receive her optician’s license.
“I like to explain to patients what they should look for based on their face shape. It frustrates me to see people with frames that don’t suit them properly. I like to explain everything to the patient, from shape to colors. I don’t believe in selling just for the sake of selling; if a patient doesn’t need a treatment for their eyeglasses, like an anti-reflective coating, I won’t recommend it. I believe in meeting a visual need,” Pilar elaborated.
She also emphasized the benefits of working as a family, performing the roles that her mother, Darlene Bajandas Dávila, initially had in the office and now she fills.
“What I like most about working as a family is the family we are. We are a united and caring family, concerned about people’s well-being. These are things our parents instilled in us. Seeing Dad working with patients and how he treats them has been the biggest example for us, both for Gabriel and me,” she acknowledged.
“He is my best friend, my role model. I love him very much, and I wish him much happiness and good health so that we can continue sharing not only as colleagues but as father and son for many years. I hope he can enjoy his grandchildren and the whole family.” – Gabriel Benítez Bajandas’ wish for his father, José L. Benítez Aponte.
“He is my best friend, my role model. I love him very much and wish him a lot of happiness and good health, so that we can continue sharing together, not only as colleagues but as father and son for many years. I hope he can enjoy his grandchildren and the whole family.” – Gabriel Benítez Bajandas’ wish for his father, José L. Benítez Aponte.
Gabriel fulfilled the dream of working alongside his father
Dr. Benítez Bajandas studied at the School of Medicine at the Puerto Rico Medical Center and specialized in Retinology at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, USA. Upon completing his specialization, he decided to return to the island and to his roots.
“My dream was always to return and practice with him (with my father), and it’s been 10 years, much longer than I thought Dad would still be working. I thought he would retire, and I would be on my own, but I’m still sharing cases with him. For me, it’s a blessing. It’s every doctor’s dream who admires his father,” he affirmed.
He also admitted his father’s influence on his work style and his relationship with the family.
“I take a lot from him when I see patients; I try to treat the patient as if they were family, make them feel comfortable, try to break down that wall between doctor and patient, let them know that we are two humans, and I’m trying to help them. Always offer that human warmth, make them feel like family, precisely because we are a family providing services,” he emphasized.
Similarly, as a father, he remembered how his father, whom he considers his role model, was always available to support his education, from taking him to baseball games as a child to seeing him graduate as a doctor in visual health.
“I want to try to emulate being as good a father as he was to me,” Gabriel mentioned.
A new era while continuing the family legacy
In October 2022, the group of eye specialists inaugurated their new offices, a project that returned an important building in Humacao’s historical architecture to the town. The Pereyó Residence is a building constructed in the early 20th century and was occupied by Judge Luis Pereyó Rodríguez, who served in the Humacao Judicial District from the 1930s to the 1960s.
The office relocation arose from the need to provide more accessible space for their patients, as the original office, where the career of father and sons took off, had become too small and uncomfortable to accommodate everyone seeking these health services.
“Moving was sentimental because I remember when Dad set up his office, and I helped him move the boxes around in 1993 or 1994; I should have been about 12 years old. Moving was bittersweet, but the truth is that this is a new chapter for our practice and for the town. We are able to return this architectural gem to the people of Humacao in the Pereyó house,” Gabriel described, explaining that he relieved his father of financial responsibility for the project because “he is already at the end of his career.” Still, he had his support and guidance as a son.
The retinology specialist described working together as an extension of family life.
“With the same love we treat each other at home, we treat each other at the office. We look out for each other because each one knows the strengths and weaknesses of the other. We help and support each other, all with the mission of providing the care that the people of this region deserve,” he concluded.
In the family of visual health experts, according to Gabriel, his daughter has already expressed interest in the profession. From the family nucleus, Ricardo José Benítez Bajandas, Pilar and Gabriel’s brother, chose a different profession and works in the international marketing industry as an accountant and lawyer.
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