Marco Rubio gets USCIS to prioritize Jorgito, the Cuban boy with leukemia, who is waiting to travel to the U.S.

Senator Marco Rubio has succeeded in getting the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to prioritize the case of Jorgito, the Cuban boy with leukemia, whose life depends on his ability to travel to Florida, where Nicklaus Children Hospital is willing to perform a bone marrow transplant, the only hope he has for survival. In Cuba, this type of procedure is not performed because the necessary conditions do not exist, as confirmed to the boy's family by sources at the hospital where he is receiving treatment in Havana.

Jorge Pastor Reina Pallarols, Jorgito's father, residing in the United States, contacted Senator Marco Rubio's office on August 27 to present his case, after CiberCuba interviewed the child's mother, who lives with the minor in Havana, and she pleaded with U.S. authorities for prompt processing of the humanitarian visa because her son's situation is critical: without the bone marrow transplant, he cannot survive.

The senator's team contacted USCIS, and in less than fifteen days, the family received a response from Immigration that CiberCuba has accessed. In it, they assure them that Jorgito's case has been considered "priority" and is currently pending review by immigration authorities. However, they clarify that this does not mean that the decision on whether to approve the humanitarian visa will be instantaneous. It simply means that the case will be analyzed with priority.

On August 22, Arlety Llerena Martínez, 33 years old, the mother of Jorgito and residing in Guanabacoa, requested speed in her appointment for the interview for the humanitarian visa in order to travel as soon as possible to the United States with her son, Jorge Esteban Reina Llerena, who is suffering from cancer.

The father, who has been living in Florida for four years, has not traveled to Cuba during this time, but he keeps in touch with Jorgito through video calls. The family received with much disappointment the confirmation from the Cuban doctors who care for the child, stating that everything possible has already been done in Cuba and there is nothing more that can be done for his life moving forward.

But that doesn't mean there are no hopes. At the Cuban hospital where they are treating the child, they have also said that the only solution is to perform a bone marrow transplant, but that there are no "conditions" to carry it out in Cuba.

After receiving this information, it is easy to understand this Cuban mother's urgency to receive, as soon as possible, the permission to travel to the United States, where they already have a hospital center ready to take on the treatment of the minor.

Little Jorge Esteban, who is only seven years old, has been battling leukemia for five years. He cannot play with other children, he cannot be in the sun, he gets swollen, and he receives chemotherapy and other treatments, but not all of them suit him well because due to the hygiene problems in Cuban hospitals, he has rejected some of them.

Jorgito's family is raising funds to cover the cost of the trip to the United States and his hospitalization. So far, they have managed to raise more than $12,400 on the crowdfunding platform Give a Hand. To help with the child's treatment, click here.