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The recent death of a young trans Cuban, after being injected with industrial silicone in a clandestine aesthetic procedure in Havana, has shocked her family, who have reported the case and demand justice to prevent anyone else from dying.
Popó, as the young woman from Matanzas was known, passed away on December 18, after spending 11 days hospitalized at the Faustino Pérez Hospital due to a pulmonary embolism and a cardiac arrest caused by the injected substance, family members reported to CiberCuba.
According to the testimony of a cousin -whose name we will keep confidential-, Popó bought an industrial product identified as liquid silicone and contacted someone to have it injected into his buttocks.
He explained that the person who performed the procedure has not yet been identified, and they are asking the authorities for an investigation to find the responsible party, to prevent others from losing their lives in unregulated aesthetic surgeries.
"A liquid silicone product was injected into the buttocks; that happened in Havana and no one is providing answers, we have no one to blame (...) We don't know who it is," she emphasized.
The family sent photos to CiberCuba of the one-liter bottle of Silicone 350 CP - manufactured for industrial, not medical use - that was used in the procedure. The label on the container indicates that it is used for technical lubrication, as an antifoaming agent, in electrical and electronic equipment, plastic additives, and polishing, but never for human use. The manufacturer warns that "in case of exposure," medical assistance is required.
“This product is being sold in Havana for aesthetic surgeries that are clandestine,” warned Popó's cousin.
The woman described the terrible effects that the substance had on the young woman's body, ultimately leading to her death. “This liquid caused a blood clot in her lung (...), by the fourth day, she arrived in Matanzas, at the Faustino Pérez Hospital, with a complication in her lung, coughing up blood, with severe shortness of breath, and she was admitted to intermediate care. She stayed there for almost nine days, until she had a pulmonary hemorrhage and was transferred to intensive care, where she lasted two days; she was hospitalized for a total of 11 days. The lungs stopped functioning and finally, the heart,” she mourned.
"His family demands justice, we want to know who did this so that other lives are not at risk, please help me," he pleaded.
“We want justice because we know that this procedure is still being carried out in Havana for trans girls, and we don’t want any more to die,” stated the relative of the deceased young woman.
The passing of Popó has caused deep concern within the Cuban LGBTI community, particularly among trans individuals, who are joining with his family to demand justice.
“The death of Popó in Matanzas highlights the violence against trans women and the lack of access to healthcare in Cuba. But the one who performed the aesthetic treatment also killed her (...) it was the fault of the one who did it. Justice,” demanded Mónica King, an activist for the rights of the LGBTI community.
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