"A custom I'm not going to get used to": the denunciation of a Cuban woman without water and with hepatitis

The lack of water prevents Sady Companioni from following care instructions for hepatitis. (Illustrative image Infobae) Sady R. Companioni denounced this October 22 that she remains without water supply in her home despite having received a diagnosis of hepatitis, an illness that, she recounted, requires her to reinforce hygiene measures that she cannot follow regularly. Companioni published her testimony on Facebook after spending several days in bed. There she stated that the diagnosis made her "one more case among the thousands that exist in my neighborhood with hepatitis." The woman recounted that the doctor instructed her to maintain rigorous hygiene in the bathroom, wash her hands frequently, and consume fresh and healthy foods. Faced with those recommendations, she complained about the daily difficulties she faces due to the lack of access to this vital liquid. "I still have no water, as usual, a habit I will not get used to because it is not normal," she wrote in her post. She also expressed her frustration at the instructions received at the appointment: "He was talking and I was thinking about whether to laugh or cry, depending on my mood and the moment." Cuban woman with hepatitis on the doctor's instructions: "He was talking and I was thinking about whether to laugh or cry, depending on my mood and the moment." (Courtesy: Social media) The situation described by Companioni combines an illness that requires hygiene care with the interruption of a basic resource. The lack of water does not appear as an isolated problem, but rather as a limitation that affects the ability to comply with elementary medical guidelines. In addition to the diagnosis, the woman denounced that she must go to a police unit in Aguilera to sign periodically. According to her account, she fears that an absence could lead to consequences in a judicial case whose nature, she said, the authorities did not inform her about. "Tomorrow I have to go to Aguilera," she wrote before questioning how long she will have to comply with that obligation and under what order. "I will go, I will sign, and with any luck it will give me an allergy and I will let out a sneeze or two," she added ironically. Companioni was detained for five days after publicly denouncing the lack of water and the difficulties her family was going through. According to her account, she regained her freedom on September 2, although she remains subject to police check-ins. The water crisis worsens in Cuba while the population needs it to treat illnesses and cover basic needs. (REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo) The arrest took place in the presence of her parents and her six-year-old daughter, who burst into tears upon seeing her mother being taken away, according to the accounts shared. To date, no public statements from the regime have been made regarding the woman's denunciation, her legal situation, or the conditions of the water supply in her neighborhood. Companioni maintained that these circumstances overlap at a time when she requires rest and medical care. Her denunciation concluded with an expression of distress over the situation she is going through. That complaint once again puts the focus on the concrete consequences that the lack of water can have for families that need to maintain hygiene routines, especially in the face of illnesses that demand medical monitoring and adequate conditions at home. The woman stated that she will continue attending the police summons, although she questioned the lack of information about the case file which, she denounced, could be used to condition her behavior.