By Alberto de la Cruz on 05/03/2011 – 5:09 am PDT
Less than a year ago in July of 2010, Ariel Sigler Amaya arrived in
Miami on the brink of death. It was hard to believe that his emaciated
and abused body would ever recover from the brutality it was subjected
to by the vile and criminal Castro regime. But while the Cuban
dictatorship did its best to destroy Ariel physically, they were never
able to touch his mind or his soul. As a modern day Mambí, Ariel's
warrior spirit, along with the support of his loving family and friends,
gave him the strength and the perseverance to make what is soon to be a
full recovery.
Via WSVN 7:
MIAMI (WSVN) — A political prisoner freed from Cuba has taken a
very important step on the road to his recovery in Miami.
Ariel Sigler Amaya arrived in South Florida nearly a year ago
wheelchair-bound, so what he did Monday marked a milestone.
He arrived last summer tired and weak. Now, he is looking forward
to a brand new life.
It may not look like a very big deal to watch this 44-year-old man
walk, but for the former Cuban political prisoner, it marks a very big
deal. "I would like to profoundly thank the people of Miami," said Amaya
through a translator, "and all of those people in one way or another who
came to the hospital. They worried about me and came to give their support."
When he arrived in this country last July, Amaya was too weak to
walk. He had been imprisoned in Cuba for treason, serving a 25-year
sentence when he became ill and doctors told him he would die. "I should
remind everyone that the Castro regime wants the world to think that
their medical help, we can say, has the best health care," Amaya said.
"I should clear up here publicly that it's not."
He was brought to this country for treatment on a humanitarian
visa. Doctors in Miami diagnosed him with a syndrome called transverse
myelitis. "When he came here," said Dr. Orlando Rodriguez, "he looked
like a prisoner that came out of a concentration camp with no muscle
mass, unable to walk, unable to have feelings in his lower extremities."
After months of intense physical care, by March, Amaya could once
again stand on his own two feet. Now, in May, this former boxer, is
posturing like a champ and ready for his next fight.
Doctors also noted that Amaya is also being treated for post
traumatic stress disorder.
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