Former Italian deputy Alessandro Di Battista reveals brain tumor in Cuba

Former Italian deputy Alessandro Di Battista has broken weeks of silence to reveal that his sudden health emergency in Cuba stemmed from a cerebral edema caused by a brain tumor, requiring urgent surgical intervention in Havana. Speaking via video link on the La7 television program diMartedì, hosted by Giovanni Floris, the former parliamentarian described the ordeal that began while he was traveling on the island to produce reporting. Di Battista fell ill during a visit to Cuba, before being transferred to the Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital in Havana.

Initial medical staff accurately identified the cerebral edema and administered stabilizing treatments that made surgery possible. Di Battista noted that surgeons successfully removed almost the entire tumor mass. Specialists from the Gemelli Hospital in Rome later confirmed to him that the operation in Havana was extremely refined, though performed using technologies that were utilized decades ago.

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"I began to feel unwell primarily due to cerebral edema caused by the presence of a tumor that was detected in Cuba."

Alessandro Di Battista, former deputy

The former Five Star Movement lawmaker detailed the difficult environment in which the medical personnel operated. Di Battista highlighted that the Cuban hospital lacked running water and reliable electricity. He recounted that local citizens brought buckets of water up to the nineteenth floor so he could wash or use the facilities, and noted that the operating surgeon later wrote to him regarding difficulties sterilizing instruments due to power blackouts.

Di Battista also addressed political controversies surrounding his medical repatriation. He condemned what he termed disgraceful speculation by certain newspapers that reported him dead or in a coma of which he was unaware. He clarified that he returned to Italy on 12 September aboard a medical flight covered entirely by his private travel insurance policy.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni personally contacted him in Havana to express solidarity and dismiss rumors regarding a state flight. Di Battista noted that the Prime Minister told him to disregard the discussions surrounding a state flight, which was never a possibility.

Rejecting motivational warrior clichés about fighting illness, Di Battista emphasized that primary responsibility rests with medical professionals. He remarked that he belongs to the group of citizens who ask why such an illness happened to them, noting that the twenty-first-century ailment is democratic. Following his return, he was admitted to the Gemelli Hospital in Rome and was discharged on 18 September.

Looking ahead, Di Battista stated that active political campaigns and future electoral strategies through his association Schierarsi take second place while he begins scheduled therapies in Italy. He also addressed the political landscape, questioning the strength of the broad coalition and the Democratic Party's stance on Ukraine.