At his young age, Leandro Gamboa Pelegrín has had to fight more than one battle: first, he survived an electric shock of over 30,000 volts after the kite he was flying came into contact with a high-voltage line, an accident that caused burns over 60% of his body; then, he faced for nearly three years the serious consequences that those injuries left on his skin and mobility.
Now, at just 11 years old, he has just undergone four reconstructive procedures performed on the same day in Camagüey, in a process that also progressed thanks to a widespread solidarity mobilization of Cubans both on and off the island, who helped raise awareness of the case and provided resources, supplies, transportation, and support for his recovery.
Radio Cadena Agramonte reported this Tuesday that the intervention was carried out by a multidisciplinary team from the Eduardo Agramonte Piña Pediatric Hospital and the Manuel Ascunce Domenech Provincial Clinical Surgical Teaching Hospital, both located in Camagüey.
According to the publication, the minor underwent surgery to treat the effects of severe burns caused by an electric shock and has already been discharged to continue his recovery.
But Leandro's arrival at the operating room was preceded by weeks of efforts and civic solidarity that are not reflected in the institutional information.
The journalist and activist Guillermo Rodríguez Sánchez, who along with doctor Verona Bonce and a community of supporters brought attention to the case, stated that the child's mother had been trying for months to find a solution for the aftermath her son was experiencing.
In a live broadcast on Facebook, Rodríguez stated that the mother had been trying to reach out to him and Bonce for about six months before they decided to take on the case and start mobilizing help.
The activist clearly distinguished that stage of the initial care Leandro received after the accident.
He acknowledged that the specialists in Ciego de Ávila played a crucial role in saving his life and treating the burns during the initial weeks.
Thanks to a divine miracle and their skilled hands, they saved that child, he stated, while also highlighting the recent work of the surgical teams in Camagüey.
His criticisms are directed towards the period afterwards: after overcoming the most severe phase, Leandro spent nearly three years with significant aftereffects while his mother tried to get him new interventions and appropriate rehabilitation.
The activist claims that during that time, the minor attended consultations without the issues caused by the skin retraction being addressed, which worsened as he grew.
According to his explanation, the scars had caused a significant tension in Leandro's neck and also issues in the groin area that hindered his mobility.
The intervention carried out recently in Camagüey concluded with four surgical procedures in one day: two on each side of the neck and two others aimed at releasing retracted tissue in the lower part of the body.
Rodríguez confirmed that the operations resulted in approximately 90 stitches, about 60 in the neck and another 30 in the groin area.
He also pointed out that the child progressed without infection or immediate complications and impressed the staff with his resilience during the subsequent treatments.
Leandro's resilience is supernatural, the activist stated while describing how the child faced the procedures and the postoperative period.
One of the specialists who participated in the intervention was the burn surgeon Orlando Gazmuri.
Days before the operation, Rodríguez had explained that the burn treatment services of Las Tunas, Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Guantánamo, and Havana had also offered to care for the child.
Finally, the mother chose Camagüey: “The decision to operate in Camagüey was made by the one who needed to make it, Leandro's mother,” explained the activist who dedicated several follow-up posts to this case.
The mobilization around the case also included significant material support. In his latest broadcast, the activist assured that he bought and sent from Mexico about 800 dollars in medical supplies for the surgery and the subsequent recovery stages.
Among those resources, he mentioned ointments, gauzes, antibiotics, collars, special bands, and other materials intended for dressings.
According to his explanation, part of what was sent for the procedure did not need to be used because the hospital had the materials, so it was made available for the minor's subsequent treatment.
Leandro's trips from Santana, in Ciego de Ávila, to Camagüey were made possible thanks to the generosity of an old neighbor of the boy who currently resides in the United States and anonymously paid for a private air-conditioned vehicle to take him both to the consultation and later to the hospital admission.
The support network remained active after the operation: a woman offered her home in Camagüey free of charge so that Leandro and his mother can stay there for about 15 to 20 days, or as long as necessary, while they continue with the treatments and wait for the stitches to be removed.
Rodríguez also pointed out that more than ten people offered housing for them, while others provided cars, bicycles, and electric tricycles for the family’s needs, demonstrating something the activist has highlighted on other occasions: that the actions he manages to carry out are thanks to a large community of supportive Cubans.
Rodríguez refused to personally take credit for that mobilization: “I have been fortunate to be the catalyst, the connection, let's say, the coordinator,” he stated during the live session, emphasizing that behind the case there are many people who have contributed from Cuba and abroad.
His questioning arose after several institutional publications portrayed the operation as the result solely of sustained coordination within the health system, when the reality hidden by the regime is that it was also thanks to many compassionate individuals.
At the same time, he excluded from his criticism the specialists who performed the surgery and explicitly acknowledged their work.
«I am infinitely grateful to the doctors because what they have done for this child, having four surgeries on the same day and with no complications, is undoubtedly an extraordinary achievement», she stated.
The case of Leandro became publicly known in January 2024, when it was revealed that specialists in Ciego de Ávila had managed to save his life after suffering burns on 60% of his body.
At that time, he was identified as Leandro Daniel Gamboa Pelegrín, then eight years old, and it was reported that he had been admitted on December 16, 2023 to the Dr. Antonio Luaces Iraola Provincial General Teaching Hospital in Ciego de Ávila.
Initially, she remained for several hours in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit until she achieved hemodynamic stability. Subsequently, she required multidisciplinary care to address the severe injuries.
The Frank País Hospital in Havana sent temporary skin coverage for the affected areas, while his own mother donated skin for a homotransplant.
Almost three years later, the story once again highlights, above all else, the resilience of a child who first survived an extremely serious injury, then learned to live with its consequences, and has now just endured four procedures aimed at recovering some of the lost mobility and improving his quality of life.
However, the process is not yet over. Rodríguez assured that Leandro will need physical therapy, specialized follow-up, and possibly new interventions as he continues to grow.
For now, he remains in Camagüey with his mother, recovering from the surgeries under medical supervision and also supported by a network of solidarity that helped bring his story out of anonymity and continues to meet many of the needs of his daily recovery.
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