MIAMI — Months after Miguel “Mike” Fernandez celebrated his 12th birthday, armed members of Fidel Castro’s militia frightened him and his 10-year-old sister when they interrupted Christmas Eve dinner at their home in Manzanillo, then known as the Pearl of the Guacanayabo.
The men carrying submachine guns forced them and their parents, Lieba and Mario Fernández, to leave their home and their island for Mexico City. He eventually made his way to the University of New Mexico, served in the Vietnam War, got a job as a door-to-door salesman — and became a billionaire healthcare mogul.
The MBF Healthcare Partners chairman and philanthropist recently marked his 73rd birthday. After years of advocacy, he has cemented his position as a vocal advocate for hard-working and entrepreneurial immigrants in need of refuge and access to the American Dream…