My name is Marcos. I am a Cuban citizen and a Singapore Permanent Resident since 2024, and I have called Singapore home since 2018. This country is where I have grown professionally and personally, and where my family found hope when we needed it most.

My mum, Maria del Carmen Ochoa, was first diagnosed with thyroid cancer when I was just 15 years old, over 20 years ago. Since then, we have been fighting this illness together for most of my life. In recent years, conditions in Cuba deteriorated severely. Medical resources became scarce, treatments were no longer available, and doctors eventually told us she was terminally ill. Faced with the reality that she would suffer without proper care, I made the hardest decision of my life: to bring her to Singapore so she could have a peaceful, dignified, and pain-free end with proper palliative care.

When the palliative doctor examined her in Singapore, everything changed. She was not at an end-of-life stage. She was immediately referred to oncology, and from 2023 until early 2025, my mum was given something we never thought we would have again: time. Two beautiful years filled with love, family, friends, and life. She was active, largely pain-free, and able to live with dignity while undergoing oral chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and continuous treatment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

The journey has not been without loss. A tumour grew at the base of her skull and damaged her optic nerve, leaving her blind in her right eye. Radiotherapy stopped the progression, and she adapted with remarkable strength, continuing to live life with courage and grace.

Unfortunately, her current oral chemotherapy is no longer as effective, and the side effects are taking a heavy toll on her body. Since April 2025, her health has declined significantly. There is still hope, but she needs to regain strength to continue with new treatment options. These treatments are extremely expensive. Her current medication alone costs around SGD 7,000 per month, and the next line of treatment will cost the same or more.

I have exhausted my savings and am now overwhelmed by debt. The outstanding medical bill with Tan Tock Seng Hospital has exceeded SGD 150,000, and I can no longer manage this on my own. Every decision I have made was to give my mum a chance to live without pain and fear. Had I not brought her to Singapore in 2023, she would not be alive today. The lack of medical resources and specialist care in Cuba would not have given her these extra years of life.

I am reaching out with humility and hope. Any support you are able to offer will go directly towards my mum’s medical bills and ongoing treatment. Your kindness helps us continue this fight and gives my mum the care, dignity, and comfort she deserves.

Thank you for reading our story and for standing with us during this difficult time.

Marcos