Heart-wrenching Plea from a Cuban Mother: "My Son's Survival Hinges on Electricity"

The energy crisis in Cuba, a direct result of years of governmental negligence and haphazard policies, has escalated beyond daily inconvenience to represent a literal threat to life.

This dire situation is painfully illustrated by Yanelis Hernández Palmero, a mother from Los Palacios in Pinar del Río. For the past month, she has been staying at the Provincial Pediatric Hospital not because her son Jeisel faces a medical emergency, but because his survival is critically dependent on electricity, a service the government fails to provide outside the hospital.

Jeisel suffers from spinal muscular atrophy type 1, a degenerative condition that necessitates consistent ventilation and climate control due to chronic respiratory failure. Continuous electrical power is crucial for the operation of the life-supporting equipment he relies on.

Yanelis recounts that she had to leave her home a month ago when the government-issued converter and batteries failed. Her pleas for a resolution were met with the familiar resignation: "There's no solution for that," she shared on a Facebook post.

The Perilous "Alternative" of a Generator

Yanelis owns a generator, yet this supposed "solution" is rendered impractical by the country's harsh realities. The machine is excessively noisy, posing a disturbance not only to Jeisel but also to the neighbors, who must endure the constant racket whenever the family tries to prevent a blackout from becoming fatal.

While many neighbors express sympathy and support, others complain, gossip, or even blame the child, as if preserving his life were a selfish act.

"But the solution is beyond me and my son," she laments, emphasizing that the generator is not a luxury but a necessity that stands between life and death.

Unfulfilled Promises from Authorities

Before returning to the hospital, Yanelis tried to wait at home, hoping for a response from the authorities. Her aim was for Jeisel to live at home, albeit without optimal conditions. However, extended power outages and a complete lack of official response forced her to give up waiting for help that never arrived.

Despite knowing the risks posed by power outages, those responsible for providing resources, appropriate batteries, and essential support for a ventilated child's home life offered no solutions. Consequently, Yanelis is at the hospital not because Jeisel's condition has worsened, but because the government has failed to fulfill its fundamental duty of protecting the life of an ill child.

A Public Plea to Replace Governmental Duty

Yanelis insists she doesn't wish to "speak ill of anyone," yet her account starkly reveals the consequences of bureaucratic failure: mothers forced to publicly plead for community support to compensate for governmental shortcomings.

Her post is not a formal complaint but a desperate call to raise funds for a system capable of powering her son's air conditioning and medical equipment at home.

"I ask with tears in my eyes, the tears of a mother with a child whose life prognosis is uncertain," she writes, pleading for assistance so her son can spend his days at home rather than in a hospital room due to a power outage.

Her closing message, including her phone number (58749357), is more than just a request for help; it's a poignant reminder of the impact of the electrical crisis on a nation where even life hinges on a service the government has proven unable to consistently provide.

Meanwhile, Jeisel, a child who did not choose to be born sick, remains alive solely thanks to a hospital that, amid an energy crisis, serves as the only place where the state can offer the electricity he should have at home.