Last Thursday night, a much-anticipated flight departed from Havana, carrying Yanaris Charlette and her daughter, Brianna Charlette Blanco, to Spain for a surgery that was deemed impossible to perform in Cuba.
The announcement came from activist Lara Crofs on Facebook, who supported the entire process and called it "the flight of hope."
After eight months of relentless efforts, contacting hospitals in several countries, and seeking alternatives amid numerous rejections, mother and daughter were finally able to board the plane that symbolized a genuine opportunity for healing.
Upon arrival in Madrid on Friday, they traveled to Valencia, where the young girl will undergo surgery and receive treatment. Her first medical appointment is scheduled for the coming Monday.
Crofs recounted a poignant moment shared among the women involved in this journey: Yanaris's heartfelt embrace before leaving. It was not just a gesture of gratitude but the emotional release of a mother who finally sees a glimmer of hope for her daughter after years of pain, failed surgeries, and devastating prognoses. "It was an embrace filled with hope and dreams waiting to come true," she wrote.
For Crofs, this display of affection also rejuvenated her spirit and underscored the idea that solidarity continues to be the driving force for Cubans when institutions fall short.
The Struggle and Resilience of a Young Girl and Her Mother
Brianna, a 10-year-old girl, has been burdened with a thyroglossal duct cyst with a fistulous tract since she was three. She has undergone three surgeries in Cuba, all of which were unsuccessful. After each operation, the lesion reemerged.
The tumor impacts her tongue and extends toward her throat, affecting essential functions such as swallowing, breathing, and speaking. Her voice began to deteriorate due to vocal cord compression, and her health worsened with episodes of choking and malnutrition.
In January, Cuban doctors confirmed what her mother already suspected: the country lacked the resources, supplies, and technology to perform the precise operation required for her case.
The diagnosis was delivered in writing, with the phrase "surgical procedure impossible" effectively ending all hopes within the Cuban healthcare system.
Yanaris then decided to break her silence and publicly seek help. Videos, messages, interviews—whatever it took to bring attention to the situation. Her motive was not to gain attention but to prevent the tumor from growing to the point of completely blocking her daughter's airway.
Cross-Border Solidarity
Activist Saily González organized a fundraising campaign from the United States. In just a few months, more than $6,900 was raised, although the total amount needed for the surgery, estimated at $32,000, was still far from being reached.
The second hurdle was obtaining a humanitarian visa. Amid the ongoing restrictions in the United States, the process became another seemingly insurmountable maze.
Nevertheless, donations continued pouring in, keeping the campaign alive. A specialized hospital in Miami offered to take on the case, but eventually, on November 11, Brianna and her mother received their visas to travel to Spain, where she will receive treatment.
The seemingly impossible journey was made possible by countless anonymous hands that refused to give up on the suffering child.
"None of this would have been possible without each person who donated, shared, spread the word, cared, and believed... We have been part of another chain of solidarity that enabled a 10-year-old girl, who lived in fear of not waking up due to lack of air, to swallow, and to simply drink water, to have a real chance to heal," Saily shared on Facebook.
The Broader Implications: Why This Journey Shouldn't Be a Miracle
The relief over Brianna's departure is accompanied by a bitter realization: in Cuba, more families are having to look outside the country to save their children.
The deficiencies in the healthcare system—the lack of supplies, basic resources, outdated equipment, and deteriorating hospitals—have turned what should be a right into a challenge that can only be overcome with outside help.
Cuban doctors, who did their best with what they had, acknowledged that the case exceeded the current capabilities of the system.
And this is not an isolated case. Many patients rely on travel, fundraising, special visas, and the goodwill of strangers to receive treatments that, in other countries, are part of routine medical care.
This harsh reality was made even more evident by stories like Brianna's, highlighting how scarcity forces people to seek outside what no longer exists or functions within.
A Flight with Deeper Meaning
The joy over Brianna's journey is immense. It's not an end but the beginning of a new opportunity: the chance for a girl who has grown up with pain to finally find relief.
But it also represents a collective victory. A testament to the power of solidarity when institutions fail; a reminder that the union of hundreds can create a pathway where there were once only walls.
Lara Crofs summed it up as a small victory that brings Cubans closer to the dream they share. Despite poverty, scarcity, and barriers, there remains a network of Cubans committed to extending a hand where the system falls short.
Today, Brianna embarks on the life she deserves. And this achievement belongs, above all, to the people who came together to save her.
Key Questions About Brianna's Medical Journey
Why couldn't Brianna receive treatment in Cuba?
Cuban doctors lacked the necessary resources, supplies, and technology to perform the precise operation required for Brianna's condition.
How was the fundraising campaign organized?
Activist Saily González led a fundraising campaign in the United States, raising over $6,900 to help cover the costs of Brianna's surgery.
What challenges did Brianna and her mother face in obtaining a visa?
Due to restrictions in the United States, obtaining a humanitarian visa was a complex process, but they ultimately received visas to travel to Spain for treatment.