Yurisleidis Remedios, a Cuban mother of triplets who has reported her vulnerable situation on social media, stated in a video that, due to the lack of gas and prolonged power outages, she has been forced to cook with firewood inside her apartment, a choice she described as “the only option available here” to feed her family during this crisis.
The woman recorded the scene and shared it on social media to highlight the hardships she faces and the conditions in which she raises her three children.
In the recording, Remedios demonstrates the building's gas supply and criticizes that "not even before Melissa" —referring to the hurricane— could she acquire fuel regularly.
“Look at this, gentlemen. This is too much. In an apartment, you have to cook with firewood”, she summarizes, before explaining that due to the shortage, she has to go out with the triplets to search for firewood in order to prepare the little she finds each day.
The mother links her situation to a general deterioration caused by a healthcare and food crisis arising from the inaction of the Cuban regime.
It asserts that cases of chikungunya persist in their building and denies the statements made by the authorities regarding the fumigation coverage in the affected homes.
"With the utmost respect, Doctor Durán, you are a liar," he says, after asserting that "no one comes here to fumigate."
The testimony includes fear of reprisals. Remedios recalls that in the past she was detained "upon leaving" her children's school and states that she could be monitored or "kidnapped" on the street for publicly denouncing her reality.
It also recounts that she sleeps on the porch with the children due to the heat and mosquitoes, and questions the nighttime movements of trucks in her area while, she says, “according to them, there is nothing here.”
The woman also details the economic and labor impact: she works as a librarian in a school with crumbling walls and broken windows, which makes returning to classes difficult; she claims that her salary is around 3,400 pesos, but it can drop to about 1,990 if her children are sick; and she questions why, with that income, she has to face prices in stores that accept foreign currency while her pay is in “devalued” national currency. “Tell me, what are you going to buy with that salary?” she asks.
In her closing remarks, Remedios emphasizes that her “struggle is peaceful” and demands “a government that moves this people forward,” one that cares for the vulnerable population and restores basic services.
She asserts that she speaks "with sincerity in her heart" and that no one "manipulates" her, while describing her experiences as a "horror movie" that she does not intend to silence.
"I am not going to be afraid," she concludes, asking for her complaint to be heard and reminding that "this is the reality of the average Cuban."
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