Erisbel Leyva Muñoz, a 35-year-old resident of Reparto José Ávila Serrano —known as La Cuchilla— in Velasco, municipality of Gibara, Holguín, is facing three serious illnesses simultaneously without the minimum resources necessary for their treatment, according to a Facebook post by Felipe González that sparked a wave of solidarity on social media.
Erisbel was diagnosed with meningoencephalitis at 24 days old, developed hemophilia A—a hereditary disorder that impedes normal blood coagulation—and began to show signs of schizophrenia at the age of 17.
He has currently lost muscle mass in his legs and has difficulties meeting his basic needs. He lives with his parents in a barred room.
The family's economic situation is critical. Their parents rely on the ration book, which barely covers the most basic food needs, making it impossible to afford the special diet required for hemophilia or the medications for schizophrenia.
A close relative who commented on the post explained it bluntly: "His father cannot cover the costs of Erisbel's food with just a checkbook, because besides that nervous condition, he has hemophilia, which requires a special diet that they can't provide due to their living situation. Sometimes they don't even have medication to give him, and if he gets a toothache, they have to admit him to the hospital because his blood won't clot."
Neighbors in the neighborhood confirmed that González's account is true to reality. "It is exactly as Mr. Felipe tells it. He has not added anything that is not true. He is my neighbor, and I have seen him grow up since he was little. He was a very smart child," wrote one of them.
Another person who visited the home added that the family had also been affected by the flooding from a cyclone and was still waiting for a social worker to visit.
The institutional abandonment surrounding the case does not surprise those who are closely familiar with the mental health crisis in Cuba. A mother who also has a son with schizophrenia left a comment that encapsulates the despair of many families: “It’s very hard; it tears your heart apart to see the neglect faced by people with mental health issues in this country. Mainly with medications, lack of therapies, vaccines, and everything. It’s very difficult.”
Among the comments on González's post, several users sought information on how to send assistance, others inquired about which medications the young man needs, and some urged local influencers to take notice of the situation.
«Oh, Cuba, how you hurt! Every day Facebook reveals the abandoned ones», wrote a commenter. «They are very good people and have spent many years fighting with their sick child and in terrible economic circumstances», added another who knows the family.
Those who wish to collaborate can contact Felipe González through his Facebook profile via private message.
This abandonment has concrete figures. In April 2026, 461 out of 651 essential medications were out of stock in Cuban state pharmacies, and psychotropic drugs—essential for treating schizophrenia—only met 40% of national demand, according to reports on the hospital crisis in Cuba.
Around five million chronic patients faced interruptions in their treatments.
The case of Erisbel is not the first to be highlighted from that same locality. At the beginning of September, a young woman with schizophrenia also from Velasco was shared on social media and received an outpouring of donations, which her family publicly thanked a few days later.
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