
Osmar González Peña, the Cuban resident in Tampa who became a symbol of resilience by delivering Amazon packages with one leg, can now walk without crutches.
Everything has been made possible thanks to a smart knee prosthesis funded by the solidarity of the Cuban community, which raised more than $35,000 in just three months.
«It's not the same to walk with a crutch as it is to feel free,» he confessed to journalist Javier Díaz from Univision 23 Miami.
His story began to go viral last October when content creator José Polanco shared videos of himself making deliveries on one leg. That wasn't his only job; he also worked eight hours as an ironer at a laundry.
Osmar, from Santiago de Cuba, lost his leg in a traffic accident in Cuba when he was just three years old. He emigrated to the United States in 2022, crossing the southern border with the help of crutches, and obtained an I-220A immigration document.
The gradual spread of the case led to a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe titled "Help to Get My Prosthesis."
The campaign started slowly but began to gain momentum. By December 2025, it had raised $22,400 out of a target of $50,000, and in January 2026 the amount had already surpassed $36,000, at which point Osmar began the medical procedures.
The prosthesis he ultimately received incorporates smart knee technology with a microprocessor, a device whose cost in the U.S. market can exceed $40,000.
"Apart from the fact that it's not part of me, feeling that I can walk normally with both of my arms, using both of my arms, is a very pleasant experience," he expressed to Univisión 23.
Osmar acknowledged that at first he was resistant to accepting help, but the response from people made him change his mind. "Seeing the support from others, seeing the support from my wife, from my family, I truly realized that I could achieve great things like improving my quality of life," he said.
When asked if he was still working as a delivery driver, he answered without hesitation: "Yes, I'm still doing Amazon, I'm still living as before."
He also spoke of a dream he has for the future: in a free Cuba, he would like to create a project to help people who have lost a limb to move forward.
The young man summed it up with a phrase that defines both his story and that of those who supported him: "The Cuban community really comes together when it needs to."
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