A young Cuban girl battling cancer urgently requires A+ blood donations while she remains in the oncology ward at Holguín Pediatric Hospital. The plea for help was shared by Idelisa Diasniurka Salcedo Verdecia on Facebook: “Emili Elianis Remón Silot is a young child fighting cancer; she is undergoing chemotherapy and began experiencing an ocular hemorrhage about three days ago due to the deterioration of her body,” she wrote.
Salcedo explained that they need to extract platelets for the young girl, but there isn't enough blood available at the hospital, highlighting the urgency of the situation. “Her treatment has commenced, but her platelets and white blood cells are unstable and frequently drop,” she emphasized. She also noted that “blood was donated the day before yesterday, but it was lost, leaving the girl still in critical condition, and now more blood is needed.”
Adding to the severity of the issue, Salcedo mentioned that “many people responded to the previous call for help, but regrettably, none of those blood transfusions reached Emili.”
Other Calls for Help
On Thursday, it was reported that Arlety Llerena Martínez, a 33-year-old Cuban mother residing in Guanabacoa, Havana, is pleading for an expedited interview to emigrate to the United States with her son, Jorge Esteban Reina Llerena, who also has cancer. Llerena aims to reunite her son with his father, who has been living in the United States for nearly four years and has not been able to travel back to Cuba, maintaining contact only through video calls.
Earlier this week, there was also a desperate appeal to the Cuban community in the United States for support in continuing the chemotherapy treatment of Kiryat Poey, a 17-year-old suffering from the disease. The young man has a severe medical condition and requires chemotherapy every 21 days. However, the necessary medication is unavailable at William Soler Pediatric Hospital, where he is hospitalized.
In April of this year, Elías Antonio Gracia Medina, head of the National Medical Oncology Group, reported that a new case of cancer is diagnosed in Cuba every 20 minutes, and 146 people die daily from the disease. This alarming statistic underscores a critical and worrying issue for the Cuban healthcare system. He also acknowledged that they have had to suspend programs such as breast cancer prevention.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cancer Treatment in Cuba
Given the critical state of healthcare in Cuba and the ongoing cancer treatment challenges, here are some frequently asked questions and answers about this pressing issue.
Why is there an urgent need for A+ blood donations in Holguín?
A young girl named Emili Elianis Remón Silot, who is battling cancer, requires A+ blood for platelet extraction. The lack of sufficient blood at Holguín Pediatric Hospital is causing an urgent need for donations.
What other cancer-related appeals have been made recently in Cuba?
Other recent appeals include Arlety Llerena Martínez's request to expedite her emigration process to the United States for her son’s treatment and the call for support for Kiryat Poey, a teenager needing chemotherapy medication unavailable in Cuba.
What are the cancer statistics in Cuba?
According to Elías Antonio Gracia Medina, a new cancer case is diagnosed in Cuba every 20 minutes, and 146 people die from the disease daily. This highlights a critical issue within the Cuban healthcare system.