Businessman: ‘I couldn’t escape it’

Ontario resident fears Cuba trip left him with Havana syndrome

An Ontario businessman who travelled to Cuba in 2017 could be the first private Canadian citizen to have symptoms consistent with Havana syndrome, the mysterious illness that has affected diplomats and their families who were posted there.

The man, who has asked to remain anonymous because he is worried about his safety, says he experienced what he calls an “attack” while in his hotel room in downtown Havana in early 2017. He was there as part of a privately sponsored trade mission.

He was sitting in his hotel room when he experienced a sensation inside his head that he has a hard time describing more than two years later.

“I have never experienced anything like it.”

The man said he didn’t hear any sounds, but felt overwhelming pressure and sensations in his head.

“I felt pressure. It was like a gripping arrest of your consciousness, something being thrust on me, but I couldn’t escape it.”

The man described the experience as sudden and terrifying.

“I had no idea what the source was, but I knew it was abnormal.”

When he could stand up from his chair, he was exhausted.

“I thought, I have to lie down, I don’t know what is going on.”

He eventually left the hotel in an attempt to get some fresh air and clear his head, which he says was in a “mental fog.”

While outside, he says he had a second experience with the sensations of pressure, but this time not as strong.

He returned to the hotel and slept for more than three hours. Because he was so terrified by the strange experience, he was relieved when he woke up that he was still alive, he says.

The man describes a severe “brain fog” that got worse in the days following the incident. He also began suffering from dizziness and tinnitus among many other symptoms.

“It got worse to the point that I had dizzy spells in the weeks and months that followed.”

It wasn’t until he read an article in his local newspaper about the mysterious syndrome affecting Canadian and U.S. diplomats that the man began to wonder whether his experience was related.

His brief trip to Havana happened at the same time diplomats and their families experienced brain injuries from sources that have yet to be identified.

The man made an appointment at the University of Miami where some Canadian and American diplomats affected by Havana syndrome had been examined and tested. After a series of tests, the Ontario businessman was told his results were consistent with many other people who complained of similar incidents while in Cuba.

He also called the RCMP and was interviewed in Ottawa. This newspaper has seen a copy of the statement he sent RCMP in 2018.

“Over the summer (after returning from Cuba), I experienced almost every symptom that has been reported in the press and the systems were severe: dizziness, hearing loss, fatigue, weakness, difficulty concentrating, short-term memory loss, difficulty sleeping.” He added that he was having difficulty managing his business responsibilities. John Babcock, spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, said an RCMP investigation is ongoing in collaboration with Cuban authorities. He added that there is “no evidence that Canadian travellers to Cuba are at risk. Canadian travellers should continue to consult the Government of Canada’s travel advice and advisories for the latest updates.”

Researchers in the U.S. and Canada have confirmed that diplomats and others posted to Havana suffered unusual brain injuries that are affecting their balance, hearing, vision, cognitive abilities and more.

Recently, research led by Dr. Alon Friedman of Dalhousie University’s Brain Repair Centre, proposed that pesticides used to combat mosquito-spread Zika virus could be responsible for the brain injuries suffered by Canadians and Americans posted to Havana.

That theory is controversial among some of the diplomats who are suing the Canadian government for $28 million, saying they failed to protect them or to take proper action to treat them. The diplomats, through their lawyer, say they are frustrated that there is no clear answer about what caused their illnesses, or any definitive answer about whether they were targeted with some kind of weapon. The insecticide theory, they say, is not conclusive.

Others have proposed that the diplomats could be victims of some kind of sonic weapon, although it is not clear why or by whom.

The Ontario businessman said he was not aware of spraying inside or around the hotel room where he was staying. Nor did he have any explanation for why he would be the target of what he believes was an attack.

He has not heard anything back after speaking with RCMP officials.

And the man said the many stories about the issue and his own ongoing, but improving, symptoms have left him anxious and stressed. He hasn’t even told his family about the experience.

“It is the last thing you would want your family to be dragged into. Do you realize the controversy and how many people have dismissed it?”