Cuban woman who tried to commit suicide due to lack of food for her sick son: "I don't want to see him suffer"

In the midst of a devastating situation, Evelyn Pineda, a 29-year-old Cuban mother, tried to end her life after not being able to provide food for her paralyzed and HIV-positive son.

"I became very depressed by the situation I am facing with my son and what he gave me was an attempt on my life because I do not want to see him suffering from lack of food," she said in a harsh testimony toCubanet.

Given the precarious living conditions and the lack of adequate food resources for her sick son,Evelyn Pineda Conception, was plunged into deep despair that led her to try to take her own life two weeks ago in Havana.

Evelyn and her son, both HIV positive, faced a drastic change in their lives after the child contracted an infection that resulted in paralysis of the left side of his body, due to brain dysplasia caused by a related parasite. with doves

This situation left her devoid of financial resources, to the point of being forced to sell her house to purchase a specialized mattress that would prevent the formation of bedsores.

The child requires constant care and a diet rich in protein, which she cannot afford due to the high inflation in Cuba and the impossibility of working while caring for her son.

Evelyn revealed that the lack of food and resources to care for her son led her to such a state of desperation that she considered suicide as the only way out. "I just thought about my situation, I didn't understand that I was leaving him alone," the woman said.

The suicide attempt resulted in his hospitalization. Maritza Concepción, the minor's grandmother, described with anguish the lack of medical supplies when she arrived at the Julio Antonio Mella Polyclinic with her daughter.

Only after speaking out against the deficiencies of the health system was the necessary attention achieved while denouncing the subsequent lack of humanity in the treatment that Evelyn received at the “Miguel Enrique” Clinical Surgical Hospital, where she claims that her daughter was treated like an animal.

This event is an acute reflection of the humanitarian crisis faced by many families in Cuba, where deficiencies in the health system, food shortages and economic deterioration aggravate the suffering of those who find themselves in vulnerable situations, such as the case of Evelyn and her son.