The Cuban Aylín Mujica delivered a heartbreaking testimony about the death of her son Mauro Menéndez, the dramatic moments that preceded his passing, and the despair she felt upon arriving in Barbados, unaware of the whereabouts of the young man's body.
The interview with journalist Verónica Bastos, for the program La Mesa Caliente on Telemundo, was recorded this Wednesday at the actress's home in Miami.
"I wasn't ready to give an interview, but if it's with you, it won't be an interview; it's going to be clarifying, sharing, narrating, and empowering all the mothers who have gone through this," Mujica expressed at the start of the meeting.
“The most terrible thing that can happen not just to a woman, but to any human being, is losing a child,” she stated, emphasizing that her intention was to bid farewell to her son through the program, whom she said is still with her.
The last message he received from Mauro
Aylín shared that, about 24 hours before he passed away, Mauro wrote to her to say that he had gone to a hospital and had been diagnosed with pneumonia.
"I went to the hospital, and they told me I have a severe pneumonia, but they already gave me antibiotics, and I feel 100%," said the message sent by the young man.
The family had asked him to stay in Miami, but Mauro went ahead with his plans and traveled to Barbados.
On July 16, while playing soccer and watching the sunset with some friends, he began to convulse. According to his mother, he suffered three seizures, and the ambulance took a while to arrive, which may have caused his brain to be deprived of sufficient oxygen.
“Mauro suffered three heart attacks and was revived seven times,” Aylín stated.
Doctors also found a clot in one of his lungs and another in his heart, according to the testimony provided by the actress. "If there was someone who loved life, it was Mauro," she recalled.
The call in which he learned about his son's death
Aylín was in Bogotá, Colombia, participating in the recordings of Top Chef VIP when she received the news that her son was hospitalized.
The production team managed to arrange an early morning flight for him to travel to Barbados. However, before boarding the plane, he received a call from the musician Osamu Menéndez, Mauro's father, who informed him that the young man had passed away.
The actress shared that she received the news alone during a layover at the Panama airport, while her brother took care of informing the rest of the family about the tragedy.
"I still think it's a nightmare. I would love to wake up from this nightmare," she confessed. Despite the impact, she assured that she forced herself to stay strong in order to reach where her son was.
"I can’t afford to faint or feel weak until I get to Barbados to see my son. That’s when I’ll break down," he recalled.
A wall of misinformation in the hospital
Upon arriving in Barbados, Aylín and Osamu faced a second devastating experience. They arrived at the hospital on a Friday, around 4:45 PM, but no one could explain to them where their son's body was.
"We never found the doctors; no one there knew anything. They told us that all the information modules were closed because everyone was already at home," he recounted.
The actress described the bewilderment of both due to the lack of information and the inability to find the doctor who had attended to Mauro.
“The body of my son was not appearing, until I begged and asked Mauro: ‘Let me find you’,” he recounted.
The search in the morgue and the funeral home
At the hospital, they were initially informed that the body was in the morgue. However, upon arrival, they found that the place was being renovated and Mauro was not there.
Aylín and Osamu then returned to the hospital to ask for the name of the doctor who had attended to him, but once again they were met with vague answers, something they described as “unusual.”
Only when the staff saw them crying uncontrollably did someone inform them that the body had been transferred to a funeral home, although that establishment was also closed at that hour.
They finally managed to contact the person in charge of the establishment and were able to enter to see Mauro. In the funeral home, Aylín was able to hug and kiss her son one last time.
“I hugged him to my chest, I scolded him for having to leave. I kissed him on the cheek, and it was ice-cold, ice-cold, but I saw him at peace,” she confessed.
Among the belongings she received were a necklace, a bracelet, and a short covered in sand and seawater, items she described with a trembling voice during the interview.
The actress stated that one of the hardest wounds to heal is the thought that Mauro died far away from his loved ones.
“What hurts me the most is that Mauro grew up with a lot of love, but he died in a hospital without his family,” he stated.
The decision to cremate the body
The funeral home explained to them that the repatriation of the body from Barbados to Miami would be a complex process that could take between two and four weeks.
According to Aylín, it was not just an economic difficulty, but a long and painful process that also did not align with Mauro's wishes.
"It was very tedious, not just in terms of money; it was very tedious to take Barbados' body to Miami. And Mauro didn't want that, Mauro didn't want to be seen like that," she explained, and given that situation, Aylín and Osamu decided to cremate him.
“Mauro's soul is not here, this body no longer belongs to him, he has already flown away, so we will do things as they should be and with a strong heart continue with life,” he recalled about the decision they both made at the funeral home.
The ashes will be sent to Miami through a diplomatic procedure that is still in progress.
A life marked by motherhood
Aylín spoke of motherhood as the center of her life and her identity.
"I was born to be a mom. My whole life I have been a mom. For me, being a mother is more important than being a woman," she stated.
He also expressed his difficulty in understanding Mauro's death: "I don't understand why such a nice, good, and beloved child has to leave."
The actress also rejected any suggestion that she had hidden or denied her son. "I have never denied my son in my life," she stated.
He described it as "a free spirit" and said that even after his death, he continues to impart lessons to him.
“It continues to teach me. It is teaching me that life is very fragile. If I loved life, now I love it even more,” she expressed.
The strength to support her other children
Aylín recounted her daughter Violeta's reaction when she saw her return home, trying to stay strong in the face of loss, and the younger girl asked her how she could be so strong.
"I’m not saying that I won’t continue to crumble; obviously, that will happen. But Mauro is giving me this strength," the actress replied.
Mujica explained that he tries to stay strong for his other two children, Alejandro and Violeta, as well as for his parents and the rest of his family.
“I don’t have the chance to collapse. I don’t have the chance to say: ‘I’m going to lie in bed to suffer and cry.’ I can’t. I have to keep moving forward,” he stated.
He also noted that he used to feel afraid of the possibility of dying, but that the tragedy transformed his approach to life. "I was terrified of death, and today I have a lot of pain, but I also have a lot of strength," he stated.
The actress stated that her relationship with Mauro did not end with his passing: "The connection I have with my son will be everlasting."
Aylín emphasized the importance of the support she has received from family, friends, colleagues, and followers during her time of mourning, and she expressed her belief in the power of prayer. She also expressed gratitude for the numerous displays of affection she received following the news of Mauro's passing.
The clarification about the GoFundMe campaign
During the interview, Aylín clarified that the fundraising campaign circulated after Mauro's death was not created by her family.
“The family never created a GoFundMe, never. It's not a scam, it's real, but it's from Ric Silver and Mauro's friends,” he explained.
The actress made this clarification after doubts and comments arose on social media regarding the origin of the initiative, which surpassed $26,000 in fundraising.
His return to Top Chef VIP
Mujica returned to Colombia to continue filming Top Chef VIP, a decision that has sparked criticism and questions on social media.
The actress explained that resuming her professional commitments is a way to honor Mauro and to stay active during the grieving process.
“I am going to return to Top Chef VIP because it’s what Mauro would have wanted,” she stated. “I cannot stop my career because that won’t bring him back. He will be with me, and he will be proud of me,” she added.
For Mujica, remaining locked away and paralyzed by pain would also be inconsistent with the example he wishes to set for his children.
The actress summarized her approach to dealing with tragedy with one of the most striking phrases of the interview.
“We cannot change the things that happen to us, but we can change the attitude with which we face them. Life itself is for the brave,” he expressed.
Mauro Menéndez, a DJ and music producer known artistically as MAAHEZ, passed away on July 16 in Barbados after suffering severe complications related to pneumonia.
The hosts of La Mesa Caliente came to Aylín's defense following the criticism she received for granting the interview and announcing her return to work.
"We are not in a position to judge how someone should live their pain. She doesn’t need spectators or judges; what she needs is respect, she needs compassion, and she needs time to heal," stated Karla Monroig.
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