Danne Lorenzo's memories of the refugee camp at Guantanamo Bay are filled with music.

Lorenzo sang in the chorus of a Presbyterian church while her daughter, Lizbet Martinez, serenaded the camp every morning with her violin.

"There were beautiful experiences," she said.

Lorenzo, her husband and daughter had left Cuba on a raft on Aug. 15, 1994. The seven-day trip was filled with uncertainty and fear. Their compass would not work and they lost their flashlight.

Once found, 12-year-old Lizbet played the American national anthem for the U.S. Coast Guard personnel who rescued them, a story that made it to the United States and touched many, but was not enough to spare the family five months in Guantanamo.

Lorenzo, who now lives in Miami Beach, said she and her family will never forget their Thanksgiving meal at the base or their Christmas presents.

"We went from camp to camp Christmas caroling," Lorenzo said.

In the United States, Lizbet became something of a celebrity and played her violin for Presidents Clinton and Bush. Today, she is an elementary school teacher who recently married and is working on her master's degree in music.

Lorenzo, who was a dentist in Cuba, has worked as a dentist's assistant in Hallandale for eight years. She remains upbeat. "It all depends on the attitude you take toward life," Lorenzo said. "One has to be optimistic; when you are pessimistic you don't get anywhere."

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