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Cuban independent journalist and opposition figure Ernesto Almaguer Díaz, based in Holguín, published a heartbreaking message on Facebook this Thursday, in which he denounced the inability to ensure food and rest for his autistic son after 45 consecutive hours of blackout.
"Help me for the love of God, someone help me. I can't take it anymore," he wrote on the social media platform, in a post that has moved dozens of people.
In the comments, Almaguer Díaz explained that his son, 11 years old, needs a ventilator to be able to sleep and only consumes guava smoothie, a food that cannot be prepared without electricity.
"45 hours without power, my friend. I have my autistic child and I don't know how to come up with a way to make him his guava smoothie and power his fan so he can sleep," she wrote.
The post generated a wave of solidarity on social media.
A user identified as Leonardo Rafael stated: «This is not a request... it is a cry of desperation. It is a father who has reached his limit. Those who can help, please do so».
Several activists have volunteered to help you obtain an EcoFlow device —a portable power battery— which would allow you to keep your son's fan running during the nights.
For families without access to foreign currency, like that of Almaguer Díaz, obtaining equipment that costs 900 dollars entirely depends on the solidarity of the diaspora and support networks.
The situation of this father is not new. Since 2021, he has accumulated a record of public complaints about the lack of resources affecting his son and other Cuban children. That year, he requested help to obtain Risperidone in suspension, a medication that is scarce in Holguín.
In January 2022, he requested Diazepam for the minor. And in April 2023, he reported that Acopio Holguín removed his son's special diet of root vegetables, fruits, and vegetables, citing budget constraints.
The electrical collapse of June 2026 turned that accumulated vulnerability into a breaking point. The Electric Company of Holguín acknowledged on June 2 that citizens would receive only three hours of electricity per day, with priority given to the tourism sector. This Friday, the province recorded a capacity of only 70 MW against a demand of 225 MW.
The situation worsened this past Sunday when the Felton thermoelectric plant went offline from the National Electric System, exacerbating the deficit throughout eastern Cuba. Nationally, Cuba projected a deficit of nearly 2,000 MW during peak hours this past Wednesday, June 4, and the year's record was set on May 13 with a deficit of 2,153 MW.
Families of individuals with autism in Cuba have sent open letters to Díaz-Canel demanding special attention in the context of the energy crisis, with no known response from the regime.
Almaguer Díaz is also known for his denunciations about the collapse of the healthcare system in Holguín. In a statement recorded by the Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and the Press, he summarized the reality with a phrase: “Literally, if you don't have 3,500 Cuban pesos, you die”.
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