Yusleidy Llerena Fernández, affectionately known as Yuli, relocated to Mexico in 2022, carrying with her a degree from the Higher Institute of Design and a master's in Design Management. This year, her life took a dramatic turn when she was diagnosed with breast cancer that had metastasized to her lymph nodes, as reported in an interview with elTOQUE this past Sunday.
The discovery was quite unexpected. While accompanying a relative to a surgical consultation, Yuli casually mentioned noticing a lump in her breast. Having just weaned her youngest child, whom she had breastfed for three years, she assumed it was residual milk. The doctor recommended a mammogram, which revealed a BI-RADS 4, indicating a suspicious finding that required a biopsy. The biopsy confirmed the diagnosis she hoped to avoid.
"I've never smoked or drank, I breastfed both my children, and there's no history of cancer in my family, so statistically, there was no reason for this," she told the outlet. "It was incredibly hard to break the news to my family, especially my mom, because I never get sick."
Without health insurance, Yuli sought help from her local Health Center, which referred her to a High Specialty Hospital. A social worker decided that the public health system would assist with the treatment costs, dependent on medication availability. The hospital also provided her with a support psychologist. Her treatment plan includes six sessions of chemotherapy every 21 days, followed by surgery.
The financial burden has been significant. The pre-diagnostic tests—including mammograms, CT scans, biopsies, oncological consultations, and lymph node immunohistochemistry—exhausted her emergency fund. "The tests needed to reach a diagnosis drained my savings. The public health system takes too long, and I urgently needed several tests," Yuli explained.
Encouraged by family and friends, she launched a GoFundMe campaign titled "Help for my Breast Cancer Treatment" to ease the financial strain.
Each chemotherapy session can last up to five hours, during which her husband accompanies her, thereby also becoming the primary financial support for their household. "I've had days where I'm too emotionally drained to work for fear of ruining the fabric," confessed Yuli, who has reinvented herself in Mexico by crafting clothing and festival costumes.
The treatment has also altered her role as a mother to her two children, ages three and seven. Chemotherapy weakens her immune system, preventing her from hugging or kissing her kids when they return from school. "It's hard to cut your hair, look at your kids, and explain everything to them," she said. Yet, she clings to one certainty: "This will be temporary."
What sustains Yuli through this ordeal is a network of support spanning both sides of the Atlantic. Friends look after her children so she can complete her treatment, and her mother has crossed the ocean to be by her side. "She was able to come from Cuba to support me," Yuli shared.
"It's tough when everyone tells you to be strong; I'd rather have a visit that makes me forget I'm sick. Being a mom, a migrant, and uninsured was terrifying, it was a lot to handle all at once," she revealed to El Toque.
Yuli's situation is not unique among Cuban women battling cancer both inside and outside the island, often without the necessary support network or medications. Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among Cuban women, with an incidence rate of 68.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, according to ONEI data cited by IPS.
Cuba's healthcare system is grappling with a severe crisis threatening the continuity of cancer treatments on the island. Hundreds of medications are missing from the pharmacies’ basic inventory, forcing many Cubans to resort to alternative medicine as their only viable option for relief.
Breast Cancer Challenges for Cuban Women
What led to Yuli's breast cancer diagnosis?
Yuli was diagnosed with breast cancer after noticing a lump in her breast. A mammogram followed by a biopsy confirmed the cancer, which had metastasized to her lymph nodes.
How is Yuli managing the financial burden of her treatment?
Without health insurance, Yuli is relying on the public health system and has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover treatment costs.
What impact has the treatment had on Yuli's family life?
The chemotherapy has weakened Yuli's immune system, affecting her ability to physically interact with her children, and her husband has become the primary financial support due to her reduced capacity to work.