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Milena Acosta, a six-year-old Cuban girl with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, has finally returned home thanks to the solidarity of hundreds of Cubans who donated to install a solar energy system, the only support that allows her to survive the blackouts affecting the island.
His father, Baysel Acosta Moreno, announced the news on Facebook with a message full of emotion and gratitude: «I will be eternally grateful to Carla and Mónica for their commitment and dedication to our cause. For the unwavering support of their words and for being those human beings who feel and share in our adversities. To Verónica for her work and her project, her dedication and perseverance in addressing every problem, every solution, and every detail to strengthen this initiative».
The "Hands-on Project", led by Verónica C. Barrios, completed the installation at the family home: a Sunpal brand inverter and storage battery, a photovoltaic panel on the roof, and an 18,000 BTU air conditioner, equipment that ensures the continuous operation of the medical devices that Milena needs to live.
Verónica C. Barrios confirmed the return of the girl with a brief but strong message: "Milenita is already home. Milena Acosta, the third of the girls for whom a campaign was launched through Mónica Baró Sánchez and Carla Gloria Colomé Santiago on the GoFundMe platform, is now back home and away from the hospital."
The case of Milena was part of a charitable campaign on GoFundMe launched in January 2026 by Cuban journalist Mónica Baró Sánchez and Carla Gloria Colomé Santiago, aiming to raise 12,500 dollars for three seriously ill girls: Valentina Ramos, one year and nine months old, who had never lived outside a hospital; Yeilín, two years old, with type one spinal muscle atrophy and dependent on a mechanical ventilator 24 hours a day; and Milena.
The fundraising progressed slowly: by January 22, it had only reached 715 dollars; by January 25, 1,853 dollars; and by February 17, 4,292 dollars, always far from the target. Finally, the campaign was successfully completed, and Milena becomes the third of the three girls to return home.
The struggle of these families reflects a brutal reality in Cuba: power outages, which in provinces like Pinar del Río have lasted up to 30 consecutive hours, force the indefinite hospitalization of children reliant on medical equipment, as a power cut at home can be fatal.
The Cuban state does not provide any energy support for these cases, leaving the survival of the most vulnerable in the hands of the solidarity of the diaspora and civil organizations.
In April 2026, a two-month-old baby in critical condition faced worsened care due to power outages lasting up to twenty hours a day, while the healthcare system operated with barely 30% of the essential medication supply and 11,193 children waited on the surgical waiting list.
Baysel Acosta Moreno had summarized this suffering in January with a phrase that moved thousands: "If you see me cry, it doesn't matter, every tear carries the imprint of all the love in the world". Today, that same voice speaks only words of gratitude.
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