When Massachusetts-based musician and activist Ben Grosscup learned his mother had Alzheimer’s disease, he turned to Cuba for a treatment that could help slow her cognitive decline.
Grosscup traveled to Havana to obtain NeuralCIM, an experimental Cuban medication developed by scientist Dr. Teresita Rodríguez. The treatment, which has shown promise in treating Alzheimer’s symptoms, was featured in the documentary “Teresita’s Dream” via Belly of the Beast.
“I was thinking to myself, man, something’s different with my mom,” Grosscup recalled. “When she speaks, sometimes it’s hard to follow what she’s saying.”
“Sometimes she has a thought, and her mind goes blank, and she can’t get it back,” he said.
His mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in June after undergoing medical examinations.
“My family is very hopeful about the possibility of avoiding a more serious deterioration of my mother’s cognition by using this medication,” Grosscup explained. Grosscup praised the medical professionals he encountered in Cuba, describing them as “universally kind, considerate, competent” and concerned about his well-being.
But accessing the treatment also brought new urgency to his longstanding opposition to U.S. sanctions against Cuba.
“The policy of the blockade is harming my own family,” he noted. “That is not something I ever considered until this year.”
Grosscup said U.S. restrictions, including an oil blockade, limit Cuba’s ability to manufacture medications despite its scientific advances. “Cuba is limited in what it can produce because this whole process is energy intensive,” he continued.
Grosscup urged Americans to push for cooperation with Cuba and greater access to its medical treatments.
“Let’s build a bridge with Cuba and let’s help our loved ones get better,” he added. “Because it’s not enough just to help my mom. Totally not enough.”
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