Karina Ricardo is a Cuban mother, who lives in Holguín with her three-year-old son. The little boy's name is Álvaro Cárdenas and he suffers from a rare disease called arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (disorders characterized by many joint contractures present at birth). But he also suffers from static encephalopathy (cerebral palsy), cerebral and cerebellar cortical atrophy with bifrontal predominance, associated with hydrocephalus, which is currently inactive. He also has dextroconvex deviation of the nasal septum, blepharitis and unilateral strabismus, complete cleft palate, mild mitral and aortic insufficiency (heart disease), deformity in the upper and lower limbs with the presence of club feet. The child suffers from double incontinence and is bedridden, has delayed psychomotor development, epilepsy, tracheostomy and gastrostomy (feeding tube) since birth. For a year now, he has had a considerable size granuloma in his tracheal stoma, which is why it has not been possible to change his cannula.
In practice, the boy lives in a wheelchair and, according to his mother, "he cannot stand up due to the deformities in his feet." "Every day that passes, it becomes more deformed" and she wants to find a way to improve the quality of life of a little boy who is a fighter. "When he was born they gave him ten minutes to live and he, like a warrior, battled against death. It is painful to see that he is progressively deteriorating and deformed and that these interventions cannot be performed in his country," laments his mother.
Álvaro Cárdenas's only salvation, in the opinion of his family, is to obtain a humanitarian visa so that he can undergo surgery abroad. But that is not easy. Hence, his mother asks for help from all Cubans to share her anguish and thus give greater publicity to her case, with the aim of finding an orthopedic specialist who wants to take on the challenge of surgically intervening on the child.
"My son has a delicate health condition. He was admitted to intensive care for a year since his birth. Sadly here in Cuba there are no behaviors to follow and the necessary surgeries cannot be performed to correct his deformities and so that he can walk as well as innovative treatments to treat these pathologies because it is a rare and complex disease. There are no medical supplies or conditions. We still have time to perform these important procedures so that the child achieves better quality of health and prolongs his or her life. I, as a mother, suffer painfully every day that passes seeing how the only thing you have in the world has fought so hard for his life as the warrior that he is and his little body is deforming and deteriorating more every day without being able to do anything in his country. Please, I ask for help to be able to process a humanitarian visa or for a hospital to agree to treat him," he said in statements to CiberCuba.
In the three years of the child's life, Karina Ricardo has written to countless hospitals that treat cases of arthrogryposis and they never responded. "I spend entire early mornings, which is when the Internet connection is best here, looking to see who I can write to to help us. I have contacted NGOs such as the Red Cross, foundations, hospitals..." But until today, he has only managed to get an answer from the office of a surgeon who has handled cases like his son's. They offer to study your child electronically for $750, but given your situation they have reduced it to $300. She is a housewife, dedicated exclusively to taking care of the child. He can't afford it.
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