Calls for assistance have emerged for Emilia Velázquez Caballero, an elderly woman battling cancer of the nose and mouth in Gibara, Holguín. Her plight has drawn attention from concerned Cubans who are seeking support for her dire situation.
In a video appeal shared by activist José Daniel Ferrer, the person filming Emilia highlights the distressing conditions she endures. "She lives with her bedridden husband in deplorable living conditions," they lament, while Emilia nods in agreement.
Her needs are critical. "She requires medications, vitamins, and most importantly, food," the plea continues. The meager income from her small pension is insufficient to cover basic nutritional needs, they explain.
Emilia resides on 30th Street, behind the spinning mill in the Peralejo neighborhood of Gibara. The lack of medical supplies and adequate care is a recurring issue in Cuba, Ferrer notes. "Nurses are left without medicines, without proper care, without food, without resources, living in poverty. It's the complete opposite of what happens in the United States, yet the regime's media continues to blatantly lie," he asserts.
This heartbreaking case is just one of many that José Daniel Ferrer, leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba, has brought to light recently. On Saturday, Ferrer highlighted another distressing situation involving a young Cuban girl from Birán, Holguín, who turned to social media for help after Hurricane Melissa ravaged her home.
"Help me, look at my little house, see how the cyclone lifted the roof. I have no food and can't take it anymore," the girl pleads in a Facebook video, showing the damage left by the storm. "Look at my grandparents, they have no clothes or shoes, help us, give us money. Please, help me, I'm a child of God," she implores, as the camera captures her elderly grandparents.
These instances underscore the structural poverty and hardship pervasive among Cubans, further exacerbated in the eastern region by the impact of Hurricane Melissa.
Cuban Crisis and Humanitarian Aid
What are the living conditions like for Emilia Velázquez Caballero?
Emilia Velázquez Caballero lives in deplorable conditions with her bedridden husband in Gibara, Holguín. She suffers from nose and mouth cancer and lacks the necessary medical supplies and food.
How is José Daniel Ferrer involved in these cases?
José Daniel Ferrer, the leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba, has been actively highlighting cases of poverty and neglect in Cuba, including those of Emilia Velázquez Caballero and a young girl affected by Hurricane Melissa, to draw attention and seek assistance for these individuals.
What impact did Hurricane Melissa have on the community?
Hurricane Melissa has severely affected the eastern region of Cuba, causing structural damage to homes and exacerbating the poverty and food shortages already present in the community.