Cuban Frida Riverón, mother of nine-year-old Thiago Fernando, who was affected by an alleged medical error during surgery, pleaded for humanitarian aid for her child.
"The emptiness in my life is filled by your smile. We never expected life to play such a cruel trick on us," wrote the grieving woman on Facebook, using the hashtags #sosthiago, #miniñonecesitaayuda, and #ayudahumanitaria.
After undergoing a surgery that lasted over 22 hours last February, under general anesthesia, for a stem cell implant, Thiago Fernando was left without movement on the left side of his body.
The boy living in Havana also suffers from a chronic respiratory insufficiency and generalized scoliosis, which has resulted in muscle loss as well.
Since then, the mother has repeatedly reported on Facebook that the government is neglecting the vulnerable young child amid the crisis the country is facing, the worst in the last six decades.
Last Friday, Riverón asked, "How much longer do I have to go on with my son without medication?"
Also, on March 11, the mother reported the regime's negligence: “Remember that I have two young children, one 3 years old and Thiago, who is 9 and suffers from a serious health condition. They haven't provided any assistance or supplies he needs, I have no water to drink, and without food, we can't go anywhere.”
The desperation of the young mother has led her to seek humanitarian aid for her son on social media.
"Family and friends, I kindly ask for everyone's help. Flood social media with #sosthiago so it reaches receptive ears and we can assist my #sosthiago in achieving his #humanitarianaid," she wrote on Facebook.
After the surgery that Thiago Fernando underwent in February for a stem cell implant, Riverón revealed on Facebook that the little boy lost mobility on the left side of his body.
The hardships of the young mother began upon learning that the implant was not successful. "The second part of the procedure was not carried out as it should have been, because the medical staff was not complete at 11:00 pm," she recounted.
According to his testimony, the absence of professionals during the night led the doctors to make decisions that harmed his son. Instead of using a deep vein to administer medication, they used a superficial vein in his hand, which proved to be inadequate.
Riverón's despair and hopelessness intensified when he was informed of the closure of the stem cell implantation program due to a shortage of supplies and lack of staff, jeopardizing his son's future.
Since then, she has been pleading for a humanitarian visa for the nine-year-old boy.
The deterioration of the healthcare system in Cuba is evident across all provinces, prompting families to seek desperate solutions such as applying for humanitarian visas.
In early March, Karina Ricardo, a mother living in the province of Holguín, sought help for her three-year-old son who suffers from a rare condition known as congenital multiple arthrogryposis, for which there is no treatment available in Cuba.
She requested a humanitarian visa so that the child, who is confined to a wheelchair, can undergo surgery abroad.
Filed under: