Leandro Gamboa Pelegrín, the 11-year-old boy from Ciego de Ávila who survived an electric shock of more than 30,000 volts in December 2023, is making satisfactory progress in his recovery after undergoing four reconstructive surgical procedures in one day in Camagüey, without experiencing fever or infections.
The child remains housed with his mother in the home of a Camagüeyan supporter who generously offered her residence for as long as necessary, while their meals and medical supplies for daily care are covered by donations coordinated from Mexico by the activist Guillermo Rodríguez Sánchez and the doctor from Avileño, Reynaldo Verona Bonce.
The surgery, performed on Tuesday by a multidisciplinary team from the Eduardo Agramonte Piña Pediatric Hospital and the Manuel Ascunce Domenech Clinical Surgical Teaching Hospital, involved two procedures on both sides of the neck and two to release retracted tissue in the groin area, leaving approximately 90 stitches in total.
"Four surgeries in the same day without any complications, that is undoubtedly a remarkable achievement," declared Rodríguez Sánchez during a live broadcast on Facebook.
Leandro carried with him the repercussions of the accident—when the kite he was flying brushed against a high voltage line, causing burns over 60% of his body—scars that created significant tension in his neck and issues in the groin area that hindered his mobility.
For almost three years, her mother unsuccessfully tried to obtain new interventions within the Cuban health system.
It was the solidarity mobilization on social media that made the operation possible: Rodríguez Sánchez sent nearly $800 worth of ointments, bandages, antibiotics, neck braces, and special materials from Mexico, funded by contributions from followers, while an old neighbor of the child, who resides in the United States, anonymously paid for a private car with air conditioning for the journeys between Ciego de Ávila and Camagüey.
"I have been fortunate to be the catalyst, the connection, let’s say, the coordinator," acknowledged Rodríguez Sánchez himself, who also purchased mobile phones for Leandro and his mother during their recovery.
However, the official press and the Provincial Government of Camagüey presented the surgery as an exclusive achievement of the health system, failing to mention Rodríguez Sánchez, Verona Bonce, or any of the donors, which sparked a wave of criticism on social media.
A relative of the ophthalmologist Orlando Gazmuri, one of the surgeons who operated on the minor, stated plainly: "Always playing politics, and my uncle, who was one of the ones who performed the surgery, isn’t mentioned at all in the entire publication."
The case reflects the deep crisis of the Cuban healthcare system: in July 2026, more than 100,000 patients were waiting for surgical procedures, including over 10,000 children, and in April of that same year, 461 out of 651 essential medications were out of stock in state pharmacies.
Upon returning to Ciego de Ávila, Leandro and his mother will also receive one million Cuban pesos raised cent by cent by donors from all provinces of the country. "The protagonists are Leandro and his mom. Two incredible warriors, with extraordinary humility. Without unity and will, nothing is possible," summarized Verona Bonce.
Related videos:
Filed under: