An urgent request has been launched on social media to help save the life of the two-year-old Cuban girl Ester Lianet Asprón, who suffers from hydrocephalus and is reported to be in a critical condition at the Pediatric Hospital of Las Tunas.
The activist Nelson Álvarez -identified on social media as “El Porfiao”- requested help to raise funds as soon as possible to acquire the adjustable ventricular valve needed by the little girl, which is not available at the medical center where she is hospitalized.
"There is no time to lose," he emphasized in one of his posts on Facebook.
"Friends, this little one is Ester Lianet Asprón, two years old, who has undergone five surgeries and is in critical condition, as she needs a self-regulating ventricular valve. The girl suffers from hydrocephalus, and right now she is in very serious condition at the pediatric hospital in Las Tunas," stated another post on the social network.
Álvarez pleaded for "the urgent help of everyone to try to save the life of the little girl."
"If we pool the funds, I have a way to send her to buy it," she stated, providing two bank account numbers (CUP-9205959879504109 and MLC-9235959873600758) for making the deposits that will allow the purchase of the medical supply for the patient, and a telephone number for confirmation (52523871). People can also make monetary contributions to an account opened on the GoFundMe platform.
The activist posted a photo of the medical device that little Ester Lianet needs: a self-regulating valve for hydrocephalus, which is placed from the brain to the bladder in order to continuously drain cerebrospinal fluid.
He explained that, at this moment, the patient does not have a valve in place, but rather "a hose to the outside, which makes the girl vulnerable to acquiring a bacteria or infection." He also specified that a medium pressure valve is needed.
Hydrocephalus is a condition that affects patients who cannot regulate the flow of cerebrospinal fluid - produced by the ventricular system - through the natural pathways of their own body.
Medical literature warns that, in a person with hydrocephalus, cerebrospinal fluid is not normally absorbed by the body's venous system but rather accumulates in the brain's ventricles. "If left untreated, the increasing volume of fluid raises the patient's intracranial pressure and can lead to serious medical conditions, such as compression of brain tissue and altered blood flow to the brain."
Due to the severe crisis of the Cuban healthcare system, the country's hospitals lack basic medications and medical supplies, such as valves needed by people with hydrocephalus, mostly children. For this reason, requests for collaboration from family members and activists to acquire these supplies abroad and help save the lives of these patients are frequent on social media.
The Cuban government acknowledges the crisis in the healthcare system and the shortage of medications and supplies that particularly affect patients with chronic illnesses. The complaints from mothers and fathers about the difficulties in protecting their sick children highlight the state's inefficiency in ensuring the health of the island's population.
What do you think?
COMMENTFiled under: