Yusleidy Llerena Fernández, known as Yuli, emigrated to Mexico in 2022 with a degree from the Higher Institute of Design and a master's degree in Design Management. This year, a diagnosis of breast cancer with metastasis in the lymph nodes completely changed her life, according to an interview published this Sunday by elTOQUE.
It all started by chance: while accompanying a relative to a consultation with a surgeon, Yuli casually mentioned that she had noticed a lump in one of her breasts. She had just finished the breastfeeding period with her youngest daughter, whom she nursed until the age of three, and thought it might be residual milk. The doctor recommended a mammogram, the results of which were BI-RADS 4, a suspicious finding that required a biopsy. The biopsy confirmed what she had not anticipated.
"I have never smoked or drunk, I breastfed my two children, there is no history of cancer in my family, so statistically there shouldn't be a reason. It was very difficult for me to convey the news to my family, especially to my mom, because I never get sick," she told the media.
Without medical insurance, Yuli went to the Health Center in her area, which referred her to a High Specialty Hospital. A social worker determined that the public system would help cover the cost of the treatment, contingent on the availability of medications. The hospital also assigned her a support psychologist. Yuli has already begun the treatment, which consists of six chemotherapy sessions every 21 days, followed by surgery.
The economic burden of the process has been significant. The prior studies—mammography, CT scans, biopsy, oncology consultation, and immunohistochemistry of lymph nodes—affected her emergency fund. “In the public healthcare system, it takes a long time, and I urgently needed to undergo several tests,” she explained.
For this reason, also encouraged by her family and friends, she launched a fundraising campaign on the GoFundMe platform: «Help for my breast cancer treatment».
Her husband is now the primary breadwinner of the household and also accompanies her to chemotherapy sessions, which can last about five hours each. "There have been days when I haven't been able to work emotionally because I'm afraid of cutting the fabric and ruining it," Yuli admitted, who reinvented herself in Mexico by making clothing and costumes for festivals.
The treatment has also transformed her life as a mother of two children aged three and seven. Yuli explains that she has to take extra precautions to avoid infections and regrets not being able to carry and kiss her children as she used to. "It's hard to have to cut your hair, look at the kids and explain to them..." she said. Still, she clings to one certainty: "This will be temporary."
What has supported Yuli during this process is a network of affection built on both sides of the ocean. Friends are taking care of her children so she can complete the treatment, and her mother crossed the Atlantic to be by her side: "She has been able to come from Cuba to support me."
"It's very difficult for everyone to come and ask you to be strong; I prefer a visit that makes me forget I'm sick. Being a mom, a migrant, and not having insurance scared me a lot; there were many overwhelming things," she confessed to El Toque.
The case of Yuli is not the only one among Cuban women facing economic difficulties or challenges in accessing medications during cancer treatment, both on and off the island. Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor among Cuban women, with an incidence of 68.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants recorded in 2023, according to data from ONEI cited by IPS.
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