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Yudisleidy Rodríguez Castellón, a 41-year-old Cuban who had been hospitalized in critical condition in Santiago, Chile, passed away this Friday, and her family is seeking financial assistance to transport her ashes to Cuba.
The news was confirmed by Heidy Torres in the Facebook group Cubanos en Iquique, where she informed that the young woman died on the morning of this Friday and that arrangements had already been made with a funeral home that assists cases of individuals in irregular migration situations.
According to their explanation, the family chose cremation in order to later transport the ashes to Cuba. The procedure, along with the associated paperwork, costs 1,200,000 Chilean pesos (about 1,320 dollars at the official exchange rate) and must be completed within a maximum of 48 hours due to health regulations.
"We need to raise the money by the end of today," wrote Torres while seeking financial support from the Cuban community residing in Chile.
The mother of the deceased, Belkis Castellón, made a public plea on Thursday when the outcome seemed imminent. "I am making a humanitarian call for help to be able to repatriate my daughter's ashes," she wrote on social media.
"I am just a desperate mother, wanting to feel close to her daughter," she emphasized.
According to information previously shared by members of the Cuban community in Iquique, Rodríguez Castellón suffered a complication resulting from a cerebral aneurysm while he was in Chile.
Zailín Montesinos reported that the woman had planned to travel to Cuba, but she was unable to board her flight because her passport was expired. Later, while trying to return to Iquique by bus, she collapsed and was urgently taken to the Posta Central in Santiago, the capital of Chile.
The Cuban woman remained admitted to the intensive care unit and in a coma. According to the publication, the medical staff had difficulties locating family or friends in Chile, as the patient was alone in the country.
A nurse was able to contact members of the Cuban community and, through them, establish communication with the woman's mother in Cuba to keep her informed about the progression of her health condition.
After the confirmation of the passing, social media has once again become the main channel of support to try to raise the necessary funds to fulfill the family's wish of bringing the ashes of Yudisleidy Rodríguez Castellón back to her home country.
The case reflects a common reality among Cuban emigrants in Chile, where the community exceeds 21,300 individuals, according to data from the National Migration Service of that country.
Iquique and the Tarapacá region account for approximately 10.8% of the estimated Cuban migrants in Chile, serving as one of the main settlement points for this community in the northern part of the country.
Many of these migrants lack strong institutional support networks and face economic difficulties that are exacerbated by emergencies such as a death abroad, where the costs of cremation and repatriation of remains can be unaffordable for low-income families.
So far, it has not been publicly confirmed whether the family was able to raise the necessary funds or if the ashes of Yudisleidy Rodríguez Castellón will ultimately be repatriated to Cuba.
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