The Cuban content creator Yisle Blogs, residing in Louisville, Kentucky, published an emotional video on Facebook in which she recounts her return to Cuba after five years of absence, describing an unrecognizable island and a reality that, in her own words, "must be experienced to be believed."
The trip had a special purpose: for his family to meet his young son, Cali, who was born outside of Cuba. However, the reunion was marked from the very first moment by pain.
"It doesn't matter how many times you return to your homeland, you will always feel the same mix of joy and sadness at the same time. It's a confusing feeling that only an emigrant can understand," said the influencer at the beginning of the video.
On the same day of her arrival, she had to go to the hospital to visit her grandmother, who was hospitalized. What she found there left her speechless: "The conditions of the hospital, why should I even describe them to you when you already know? No water, no medications, no electricity, and absolutely nothing."
That scene encapsulated the magnitude of the change for her: "This journey has made a difference. I have seen my family go through situations that you have to experience to believe. It doesn't resemble the Cuba any of us left behind."
Despite the blackout, Yisle's father had prepared homemade food for them: roast pork raised by his own hands, congrí, and yuca. They ate by lamp light, without electricity, in a bittersweet reunion after years of separation.
"Despite all those things, we were happy to see each other again after so many years," the creator admitted, not hiding the contradiction of emotions that defines every reunion.
Yisle's testimony is by no means an isolated case. Another Cuban resident in New Jersey returned from Cuba in poor health in September, describing her trip to Villa Clara as "a disaster" and the worst of her three returns to the island.
The collapse of the Cuban hospital system is one of the backdrops to these testimonies. According to data cited by the United Nations, the availability of medications in Cuba was just around 30% of normal levels in September 2026. Over 100,000 patients, including 11,000 children, were waiting for surgeries that had been delayed due to power outages.
Before leaving, Yisle had filled the suitcases mainly with medicine and clothes for the child, leaving little space for her personal belongings. She had also joked, with her characteristic humor: "If you see me missing for a week, you already know I'm in apagonia."
The video amassed over 346,000 views and nearly 39,000 reactions on Facebook, becoming a reflection of what thousands of Cuban emigrants feel every time they return to the island.
Yisle announced that she will continue sharing more recordings from her stay: "I have recorded plenty of videos from all my days there that I will be sharing with love," she promised, concluding with a phrase that summarizes the weight of what has been experienced: "What is happening is sad, babe, and honestly, my heart feels it."
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