An elderly man experiencing homelessness in Santiago de Cuba was the victim of a robbery that left him nearly immobile: his crutch, which he used as his only means of movement, was stolen.

The case was reported by the solidarity activist Yasser Sosa Tamayo, known for his work supporting elderly individuals in vulnerable situations.

"His crutch was stolen. Today he walked again," Sosa wrote on Facebook, where he recounted what happened with Máximo, a man who suffered an ischemia that left one side of his body paralyzed and who currently lives on the street.

Without his cane, the elderly man felt even more helpless, a painful testament to the abandonment faced by many seniors on the Island.

"They had taken away his balance. Movement. Dignity. A physically disabled man, living on the street, brought down to the ground by the cruelty of someone who decided that even his only means of mobility was worth stealing," the activist noted.

Sosa reported that "a unscrupulous and heartless person" stole his only means of mobility during the night.

The fact highlights not only the precariousness in which many elderly people survive, but also the social deterioration the country is experiencing, where the economic crisis has deepened marginalization and left vulnerable individuals exposed to indifference and crime.

A gesture of solidarity in the face of abandonment

The story, however, took a turn thanks to citizen solidarity. A supporter of Sosa's project decided to fund a new crutch. The activist reported that he traveled to the Abel Santamaría neighborhood, Micro 3, to personally deliver the assistance.

"Transportation is expensive. The journey is long. Everything costs. But it costs more to see a man crawl because someone stole the little he had," he wrote.

The shared video shows the moment Máximo receives the new crutch. "When he leaned the new crutch against the concrete, the sound was dry, firm. He took a step. Then another. He didn't walk alone. We all walked," Sosa stated.

In addition to the crutch, the activist provided financial assistance for his food and care. "Because regaining mobility does not solve hunger. And Máximo still needs support."

A reality that challenges

Máximo's case is not isolated. Amid the deep crisis that Cuba is going through, more and more elderly people are surviving on the streets, lacking resources, without effective assistance, and relying on public charity for food or basic care.

The economic decline and lack of effective social policies have left many elderly people in extreme conditions, while institutions fail to provide real solutions for those who need them most.

In that context, civic initiatives like the one by Yasser Sosa provide, through personal effort, what should be a structural responsibility of the State.

"This is not charity. It is human responsibility," emphasized the activist. And he warned that the man's situation remains precarious: "Máximo still needs us."