Cuban boy Rafa died while waiting for a transplant and was wake without light: "The final humiliation."

The body of Rafael Junior Chávez Carrera, the eight-month-old Cuban boy who died on Saturday without being able to access the liver transplant he needed, was laid to rest in his hometown, Ciego de Ávila. But even in death, the Cuban state was unable to guarantee him dignity.

His transfer was chaotic, and his wake was appalling: it took place in the dark, in a funeral home without electricity. In the midst of their grief, his family had to confront not only their sorrow but also institutional neglect and abandonment.

The coffin with the child's body was scheduled to leave at 9:00 am on Sunday from the funeral home at Calzada and K in Havana, and arrive around 3:00 pm at the funeral home in Morón, Ciego de Ávila. However, after 3:30 pm, the child's parents had no news of its whereabouts.

Desperate, they began to make calls, but nobody answered. The reason they were given came close to the absurd: they could not locate the funeral car driver because he didn't have a cell phone.

Only after the intervention of the activist Yamilka Lafita (Lara Crofs) was the vehicle located. Finally, more than an hour later, the casket arrived at the funeral home.

But the grievance didn't end there: when the wake began, the venue was left without electricity. As a result, the parents had to say goodbye to their son in the dark, in shadows, without even the minimal comfort of a dignified atmosphere for such a devastating moment.

"Not even this last moment has been able to unfold with dignity; there is no electricity at the funeral home. The town is literally in the dark. They are mourning a child in shadows. As if the tragedy of his death were not enough…" Lara reported on Facebook.

"How many children of the leaders of this country are buried in the dark? How many are transported in hearses without any communication, or placed in decaying and damaged coffins? How many die from a kidney bacteria (we never knew which) in less than 24 hours? How many have their transfer out of the country for a transplant delayed?" he questioned.

The case of Rafa had generated a wave of solidarity weeks earlier, when his family pleaded for help to save his life. The baby was suffering from severe liver failure and urgently needed a liver transplant.

His mother was a compatible donor, but such procedures are not carried out in Cuba. Doctors in Spain were willing to help him, but the Cuban authorities did not provide any means for his transfer.

Last week, his condition worsened: a bacterial infection in the kidneys resulted in multi-organ failure, and after more than 24 hours without urinating, the damage was irreversible. The child passed away on Saturday at the William Soler Hospital in Havana, while his family was still waiting for a response that never came.

Died waiting for a transplant that was possible. He died because in Cuba, life depends on permits and bureaucracies, not on medical urgency or the desperate love of parents.

"Rafa didn't need miracles; he needed medical attention, resources, the truth. How many more children have to leave for us to understand that resignation cannot be a state policy?" wrote Lara Crofs.

In a country where the State claims to protect its children, Rafa's case reveals the opposite: negligence, indifference, and institutional abandonment that silently kill, even when there is nothing left to save. Not even the right to a final goodbye.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Tragedy of the Cuban Child Rafa