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The girl Brianna Charlette Blanco, who emigrated from Cuba to Spain in search of surgery that could save her life, will undergo surgery next Thursday.
“Brianna now has a date for her surgery, next Thursday she will be operated on by Dr. Pedro Cavadas in Valencia,” reported the activist Lara Crofs on Facebook.
Briana, 10 years old, has been suffering from a thyroglossal cyst with a fistulous tract since she was three. She has undergone three surgeries in Cuba; all of them were unsuccessful. After each procedure, the lesion returned.
"With hearts full of hope and gratitude, we are pleased to share some excellent news: Brianna, the little Cuban girl who crossed the Atlantic with her mother Yanaris Charlette in search of a life free from pain, will undergo surgery next Thursday, November 27, at 7:30 AM, performed by the renowned surgeon Pedro Cavadas at the Vithas Valencia 9 de octubre Hospital," announced Crofs.
At the beginning of November, the girl and her mother, Yanaris Charlette, arrived in Spain after a fundraising campaign and securing a humanitarian visa.
Crofs explained that "the €2,000 needed for the hospital admission are already fully covered thanks to the immediate and generous response of the Cuban community and so many good-hearted people who, once again, have shown that solidarity knows no distances or borders."
Crofs and activist Saily González Velázquez, who have sponsored the campaign to save the minor, reported that mother and child have been "received with immense affection by a network of friends and supportive hands that have spared no love or effort."
"Thanks to that chain of kindness, Brianna has already had her first consultation, and everything is ready for the operation that could change her life," she added.
Crofs expressed special gratitude to "Gretell Kairús Pérez, Siro Cuartel, and especially to Amalia Barrera — our guardian angel — for opening her arms and her home from day one."
"This is the living proof that when we truly come together, anything is possible. On Thursday, we will all be sending our thoughts and hearts to ensure that Brianna comes out of surgery with a big smile and a future full of possibilities. Stay strong, Brianna! Nobody here is letting go of your hand! Will you join us in sending all the good energy in the world this Thursday at 7:30? She will feel it!" he concluded.
A story defined by a girl's resilience and a mother's perseverance
Brianna, who is 10 years old, has been suffering from a thyroglossal cyst with a fistulous tract since she was three.
The tumor affects the tongue and extends into the throat, compromising functions such as swallowing, breathing, and speaking. His voice began to deteriorate due to the compression of the vocal cords, and his health worsened with episodes of choking and malnutrition.
In January, the Cuban doctors confirmed what the mother had already suspected: the country lacks the resources, supplies, and technology to operate with the precision this case requires.
They were given the written diagnosis. The phrase "surgical procedure is not possible" marked the end of all hopes within the Cuban healthcare system.
Then Yanaris decided to break the silence and seek public help. Videos, messages, interviews: everything necessary to raise awareness about the situation. She didn't do it to seek attention, but because she feared that the tumor would grow enough to completely block her daughter's airway.
The solidarity that crossed borders
The activist Saily González organized a fundraising campaign from the United States. More than $6,900 was raised in just a few months, but the total amount needed for the operation, estimated at $32,000, was still far from being reached.
Additionally, the second obstacle was missing: obtaining the humanitarian visa. Amid thecurrent restrictions in the United States, the process turned into another labyrinth that seemed to have no way out.
Nevertheless, donations continued to arrive. Each contribution helped keep the campaign alive. A specialized hospital in Miami announced that it would accept the case, but ultimately, on November 11, Brianna and her mother received a visa to travel to Spain, where she will be treated.
The path, which seemed impossible, began to clear thanks to dozens of anonymous hands that refused to accept the suffering of the girl
"None of this would have been possible without each person who donated, shared, raised awareness, cared, and trusted... We have been part of another chain of solidarity that allowed a 10-year-old girl, who lived in fear of not waking up due to lack of air, of swallowing, and simply drinking water, to have a real chance to heal today," said Saily on Facebook.
The other side of the story: why this journey shouldn’t be a miracle
The relief at Brianna's departure is accompanied by a bitter realization: in Cuba, more and more families can only hope to save their children outside the country.
The deficiencies of the healthcare system—such as the lack of supplies, basic resources, outdated equipment, and the deterioration of entire hospitals—have turned what should be a right into a challenge that can only be overcome with external assistance.
The Cuban doctors, who did their best with what they had, acknowledged that the case exceeded the current capabilities of the system.
And this is not an isolated case. Many patients rely on travel, fundraising, special visas, and the goodwill of strangers to receive treatments that, in other countries, are part of everyday medical services.
That reality became even more evident through stories like Brianna's, which reveal how precarious circumstances force people to seek outside what no longer exists or functions within.
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