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The humanitarian project "Giving is Giving" has issued an urgent call to raise funds to acquire five portable power stations for children with severe illnesses in Pinar del Río, whose lives depend on medical electrical equipment that becomes inoperable during the frequent blackouts experienced in Cuba.
The initiative was published by Deymi D'Atri on her Facebook profile, on behalf of the project she leads alongside Patricia Mónica Revuelta and Verónica C. Barrios, and identifies six minors with critical diagnoses who require continuous electricity supply to survive.
"In the current context, marked by a severe energy crisis that keeps the country in constant blackouts, the situation becomes especially critical for children who depend on electrical supply for basic needs such as eating or breathing due to their health conditions," said Deymi.
"For them, electricity is not a convenience: it is the difference between stability and risk, between relief and anguish, between life and the possibility of losing it. Every hour without power is a trial they should not have to endure," he emphasized.
The children are:
Abraham Jesús Rodríguez Pérez, four years old, suffers from central and hippocampal brain atrophy, thinning of the corpus callosum, delays in psychomotor development and language, and mild hearing loss in the right ear.
Thiago Rafael Rodríguez Pérez, 12 years old, has a deletion in the long arm of chromosome 5, cerebral palsy, and severe intellectual disability.
Ana Carla Corrales Junco, seven years old, shares the same diagnosis of cerebral palsy, a condition that may require assisted ventilation, suction devices, and feeding pumps that rely on continuous electricity.
Cristian Fernández Argudin, 13 years old, suffers from Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy characterized by multiple daily seizures and a high risk of sudden death that requires constant monitoring and refrigerated medication.
Yaidel Hernández Cruz, seven years old, is a severe burn victim with an affected 40% of body surface area, second and third degree burns, post-traumatic keloids pending multiple surgeries, lymphadenopathy in the neck and groin under evaluation, and undergoing psychological follow-up.
Yosbiel Alejandro Iglesias Blanco, four years old, suffers from atopic dermatitis, chronic seborrheic dermatitis, and psoriasis.
"Today we come to you with a specific and urgent request: we need to acquire five power stations that will sustain the operation of essential medical equipment for your life during power outages," emphasized Deymi D'Atri.
The energy crisis affecting the Island intensified following the shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant last Monday, which triggered blackouts across the country. Currently, the electricity deficit is around 1,850 MW per day, a figure that condemns millions of Cubans to long hours without electricity.
Pinar del Río is one of the most affected provinces: it has experienced power cuts of up to 30 consecutive hours, a devastating reality for families with children who rely on respirators, feeding pumps, or monitoring equipment.
Cuba recently experienced one of its worst energy collapses: a nationwide blackout that lasted 29 hours and 29 minutes, leaving all 11 million inhabitants without electricity, highlighting the scale of a crisis that particularly threatens the most vulnerable.
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