Cuban activist Norge Ernesto Díaz Blak, known as Noly Black on social media, once again reached out to his followers to request financial assistance to purchase a home for a low-income mother who lives alone with her sick child in Holguín.
In a new and commendable act of solidarity, the activist highlighted the inhumane living conditions of the mother from Holguín and her seven-year-old son, who suffers from a congenital defect diagnosed as agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC).
The purpose of this initiative is to raise the necessary funds to secure a decent home for this mother and her child, who are currently surviving without assistance in a precarious structure made of boards and metal sheets, lacking electricity and situated far from urban areas and hospitals for the child's rehabilitation, all while facing a severe food deficit.
The initiative, which has garnered support from sympathetic members of Cuban civil society, has raised a total of 556,262 Cuban pesos (CUP) so far, as the activist detailed in a Facebook post.
"The child has muscular atrophy and needs rehabilitation. Right now, he is suffering from an allergy flare-up, and I can't take him for rehabilitation like this," said the mother to the activist in a moving video where he highlighted the situation of this low-income family.
Affected by the illness, the little boy suffers from cerebral palsy, epilepsy, allergies, and asthma. "Since he was two and a half months old, he has been underweight; right now he is seven years old and weighs 12.5 kilograms, which is well below the third percentile," his mother explained in the recording.
In the midst of the heat radiating from the metal and fiber cement roof, surrounded by a cloud of mosquitoes and an unhealthy environment, without electricity and without special diets (the boy lost his milk allowance from the basic food basket when he turned seven), the mother and her child survive as best they can, abandoned by the social services of a regime that promised “not to leave anyone helpless” when it implemented its neoliberal package of economic measures.
"I put my child in the wheelchair and take him from here to the pediatric center for rehabilitation, and then I turn around and come back from the pediatric center to here. It's about eight kilometers. I won't lie to you: it's far and not easy, but for him, I will do whatever it takes to help him rehabilitate and improve his health," the woman stated.
The mother has been waiting for five and a half years for the housing authorities to address her case, as promised. Despite receiving a "voucher" and a "special allowance," she reported that it barely covers a fraction of her most basic needs.
"Since May 20, there has been no electricity here, and the mosquitoes are really troubling us. The boy is seven years old, almost eight (he was born on February 28), and his name is Leonard Alejandro. He weighs about as much as a child who is 2-3 years old," Noly Black said, encouraging her followers to help a mother and her child who are struggling to survive in a Cuba where inequality and social exclusion are rampant, driven by the economic policies and partial dollarization under the “continuity” of Miguel Díaz-Canel.
Activism against poverty and exclusion by a Cuban digital creator
Recently, a group of Cubans led by Noly Black raised funds to purchase a home for a mother living in extreme poverty in Banes, Holguín.
The house, valued at 200,000 Cuban pesos, was handed over to a young mother whose daughter suffers from microcephaly, cerebral palsy, and seizures. This family was living in extremely precarious conditions, without walls or basic services.
The beneficiary expressed her gratitude for the supportive gesture, which has made a significant change in her life. Noly Black, known for his humanitarian work in Holguín, continues to assist people living in extreme poverty, in a context where 89% of Cuban families face extreme poverty, according to recent reports.
The agenesis of the corpus callosum
ACC is a congenital defect characterized by the total or partial absence of the structure that connects the brain hemispheres. According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), it can occur in isolation or alongside malformations such as Dandy-Walker syndrome or Arnold-Chiari malformation.
Symptoms can range from normal intelligence to severe intellectual disability, seizures, or spasticity. Possible causes include genetic factors, prenatal infections, and toxic metabolic conditions.
The treatment focuses on managing specific symptoms, such as developmental issues or seizures, through multidisciplinary medical teams. Early and structured interventions, along with family support, are crucial for maximizing the patient's potential.
The prognosis is generally favorable when the ACC is isolated and detected prenatally, allowing for normal lives in most cases. However, there may be mild neurological and behavioral issues that require therapeutic attention over time.
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