Damir Ortiz, a 10-year-old Cuban boy, remains in critical condition at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, after being transferred from Cuba via air ambulance on March 12.
His mother, Eliannis Ramírez, reported in an interview with Telemundo 51 that her son received incorrect treatment on the island, which worsened his condition.
According to the distressed mother, in Cuba her son was diagnosed with Burkitt leukemia, a type of blood cancer that can affect the brain and spinal cord.
However, doctors in the United States conducted tests and ruled out the disease: "It is negative for Burkitt lymphoma," the mother confirmed, noting that the diagnosis in Cuba was incorrect.
Ramírez also detailed the procedures his son underwent before being transferred to Miami: "On two occasions, he had a lumbar puncture, a diagnostic and therapeutic puncture. They removed cerebrospinal fluid and administered chemotherapy through his spinal column."
Furthermore, she reported that she never received clear explanations regarding the progressive deterioration of Damir's health: "No one ever explained to me why the boy couldn't see," she expressed.
The illness has left Damir in a paraplegic state, with no mobility from the waist down: "He has paraplegia, he has sensation from the waist up. He doesn't feel anything, he has relaxation of the sphincter, he has bowel movements and had to be catheterized," his mother explained.
Ramírez also blamed the Cuban healthcare system, stating that the doctors on the island had resigned to his son's fate without providing a real alternative for treatment.
"They declared Damir terminally ill and they considered him dead. Everything belongs to the same system, to the same bad government," he stated.
Despite the difficult situation, the mother remains hopeful for her son's improvement and expressed her deepest wish amid the uncertainty: "My dream is to see him, even if it's just sitting on the bed of that hospital."