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The Cuban boy Jorge Esteban Reina Llerena has been waiting for over a year for a humanitarian visa to be able to travel to the United States, where he is assured a bone marrow transplant that cannot be performed in Cuba. His case gained prominence when the child's father, who resides in Florida, contacted the office of then-Senator Marco Rubio, who is now the U.S. Secretary of State, and he intervened with USCIS last year. At that time, the Immigration service committed to expedite the processing of the child's immigration case and the Cuban regime responded by interviewing doctors and publishing photos of the child without his family's consent.
More than a year later, the humanitarian visa has not arrived, and Jorgito's health is deteriorating, as his mother, Arlety Llerena, has explained on Facebook. "His veins can’t take it anymore," she wrote in a post where she once again asks for help for her son.
"Today I am writing once again to ask for help for my son. We are still waiting for the appointment for the humanitarian visa interview for the United States. It's been a year now, and still nothing. This wait has caused his illness to worsen. The treatments and prescribed regimens are no longer doing their job of keeping the illness stable. Right now, he is hospitalized because he has an infection, and it is still unknown what it is. He has been running a fever for five days," he wrote.
According to his post on Meta, this is one of the "minor complications" that the child may face, who is seven years old and has spent five of those years battling leukemia and a shortage of cancer medications.
“To channel it, he was given 11 needle sticks because his veins can no longer take it. He is now channeled in his foot. He has been taking steroids for years, which has caused bodily inflammation and changes in his face. This also harms his health. With each passing day, our hopes fade, along with the possibilities of him living. Please, help us reach those who are involved with appointments at USCIS so that we can finally get the interview,” added the boy's mother.
As reported by CiberCuba, Jorgito is suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia and is awaiting an interview to immigrate to the United States, where he plans to undergo a bone marrow transplant. His father started a fundraising campaign a few months ago to assist with all the immigration, legal, and hospital processes that his son will undergo if he manages to arrive in Miami, where Nicklaus Children Hospital has accepted his case.
In August of last year, Arlety Llerena raised the alarm and called for, in an interview granted to CiberCuba, expedited processing for her son's immigration procedures.
In early September 2024, then-Senator Marco Rubio succeeded in getting the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to prioritize Jorgito's case, as a bone marrow transplant is his only hope for survival. In Cuba, such procedures are not performed due to the lack of necessary conditions, as confirmed to the minor's family by sources from the hospital where he is receiving treatment in Havana.
The family submitted their humanitarian visa papers at the beginning of last year. More than a year later, they are still waiting for a response.
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