A humanitarian project named "Huellas" provided a washing machine, an air conditioner (Split), and a fan to a seven-month-old baby in Havana suffering from a rare condition known as the "disease of God" this Tuesday.
Johanna Jolá Álvarez, the project's leader, announced on Facebook that a small private company donated the appliances to little Mateo Domínguez Serrano, who is afflicted with Hematohidrosis, a rare disease. The donation aims to enhance the quality of life for both the infant and his family.
"‘Huellas’ will hand over everything collected in our account to Mateo's mother to aid and improve the quality of life for her child," stated the activist. She also mentioned that "very soon, we will provide the rechargeable fan needed for when there are power outages."
Jolá further noted that the government contacted Mateo’s mother, informing her that they would initiate the necessary paperwork to provide them with housing, as they currently reside temporarily at a friend's house. "We hope this becomes a reality," she added.
She expressed gratitude to individuals in Cuba and abroad who support the "Huellas" team in its altruistic and solidarity-driven mission.
The Challenge of a Rare Disease
The previous day, the activist raised awareness on social media about the case, describing Mateo’s condition as akin to "sweating blood" and indicating that the baby requires frequent blood transfusions.
Jolá explained that Mateo's mother, Edisleydis Serrano Bouza, cannot work because she needs to care for the baby full-time. His father works as a courier to meet the family’s expenses and the costly diet that Mateo needs.
“Mateo suffers significantly and needs to be in an air-conditioned environment to prevent bleeding out,” Jolá stated. "What his father earns is insufficient to support the family and afford an air conditioner and a rechargeable fan for power outages."
A Similar Case
In 2020, CiberCuba interviewed the mother of Dianelis González Medina, a Cuban woman who was 32 at the time and had a four-year-old daughter. Her life was normal until 2017 when she began to cry and sweat blood.
"She has the disease of God," her mother said, referring to her daughter's condition, a very rare ailment mentioned in a biblical passage about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The Gospel according to Luke recounts that after the Last Supper, Jesus went to pray at the Mount of Olives, where he was seen sweating blood.
"And being in agony, he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." (Chapter 22, verse 44).
Suffering from this rare disease led Dianelis González Medina to seek support from the international scientific community and volunteer to help research into Hematohidrosis.