An urgent call for solidarity is circulating on social media to support Cristian, a seven-year-old boy who is in intermediate therapy at the Children’s Hospital, in a critical medical condition that highlights the deep health crisis facing Cuba.
The Cuban activist Ernesto Pérez Rodríguez shared the situation on his Facebook profile, detailing that the child suffers from hydrocephalus, has undergone a tracheotomy and gastrostomy, and has been in intensive care for two months.
"Help me to help: This baby's name is Cristian, he is seven years old, and he is in a delicate situation, in intermediate therapy at the Children's Hospital," he revealed.
Cristian suffers from hydrocephalus (excess accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid within the cavities of the brain). He has undergone a tracheostomy to breathe and a gastrostomy (he is fed through a tube directly into the stomach).
According to Pérez Rodríguez, the mother of the minor (who has two other children) lives in Cuatro Caminos, a rural community in the municipality of Guantánamo.
Lives in conditions of low resources and faces enormous difficulties in meeting the basic needs that a prolonged income entails: daily transportation, medicines, medical supplies, and food.
"She is desperate. She needs personal hygiene items, food, and some money for the basic expenses involved in being in a long-term hospital," the activist noted.
Ernesto Pérez provided the contact information and support options: "My WhatsApp is 56107779, the card is in the photo. Please, help me help this prince who needs us, and if you can’t, at least help me share. We also have a Zelle account if you want to support from the United States."
This case once again highlights the inability of the Cuban health system to ensure adequate care for the most vulnerable patients.
With deteriorating hospitals, a shortage of medicines, a lack of supplies, and insufficient staff, it is humanitarian activists who, in many cases, fill the gap left by the state by mobilizing donations and resources through social media.
The sick and their families, desperate, turn to these platforms to seek direct help, as they find no support in state healthcare centers.
Cristian's situation reflects the reality of many Cuban families who, in the face of the collapse of public services, rely on private solidarity to ensure their children's survival.
The combination of serious illnesses, prolonged hospitalization, and limited resources turns daily life into an extreme challenge, while the authorities do not provide effective solutions.
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