A Cuban resident in the United States crossed the pond with her baby so that the little one's first birthday, Alaia, would not be just any party, but one surrounded by family in Cuba. The video she shared on TikTok surpassed 300,000 views and became one of those pieces of content that touches your heart directly.
Daniela Roxana Berrey (@danielaroxanaberr) organized everything with a level of detail that speaks volumes about her: since Alaia doesn't yet have a favorite character, the theme of the party was the girl herself. "I decided that the theme would be her, Princess Alaia. Everything was personalized with her photo, her name, and her colors," she explained in the video. The decorators, in her own words, "did a beautiful job."
The guests started arriving with small tokens for the birthday girl: a cookie, a little juice. Nothing out of the ordinary in any other context, but in Cuba, those gestures carry a different weight. Daniela felt it this way: "The value was never in the gift itself but in the intention and effort they made to bring it to my daughter, knowing the situation in Cuba."
The moment that resonated the most with those who watched the video was when the mother confessed what she thought upon seeing the children arrive with those little gifts: "The thought that maybe that child who brought a cookie couldn't even eat it broke my heart."
Daniela also responded to those who criticize the decision to take their children to the island. Her response was direct and straightforward: "It's very easy to say don’t take her to Cuba when you have no one there or when you have the privilege of having your whole family with you. We are fully aware of the difficulties in Cuba, but we also know that for our daughter, Cuba is filled with people who love her."
And although Alaia may not remember anything from that day when she grows up, her mom already has the solution: "She will have this video to see how happy she was and all the love that surrounded her."
The comments section was filled with messages from Cubans in the diaspora who felt a connection. One of them summarized it this way: "With that party, you not only made your daughter happy but several children who got to disconnect for a while from daily life." Another user shared that she also traveled to Cuba to celebrate her son's first birthday and that "there's no place like it to do so with the entire family and the joy the children feel when they see so many gifts and toys."
It is not the first time that Daniela stars in a viral moment related to Cuba and her baby: earlier this year, her surprise arrival on the island with Alaia also generated a significant reaction on social media. This birthday story is, in a way, the next chapter of that same love story between a mother, her daughter, and the family they left on the island.
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