Houston woman shares her story about leaving Cuba 60 years ago, hoping for a 'free Cuba'

A local Houston woman shared her story about leaving Cuba 60 years ago in hopes it will shed light on how Cubans in America feel about the island according to her.

"I admire them. I wish I were there. Believe me I would be there on the streets," said Graciela Yglesias, a Houstonian who left Cuba 60 years ago when Fidel Castro took over the government.

"You don't have rights, you don't have freedom. That is what they are seeking now, freedom. When you lose that, you lose everything."

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At the age of 27, Castro took over and she quickly married and left with her husband to Miami, Florida. What she thought was a temporary stay.

"Everything we bought I wanted it to be portable so we can take it back to Cuba, but there comes a point that you realize that is just a dream…My father died several years after we left. I still have all his letters. Every day, I wrote my parents."

She never got to see him.

Memories of her home country now scattered throughout her Houston home. A precious collection that has grown during the 60 of living in the Bayou City.

Her granddaughter- Janel- by her side watching the recent uprising.

"I asked her are you happy, are you excited that this is happening? And she's like I don't want to get my hopes up," said Janel Yglesias. "This is not the first time it has happened, this is just the first time the world is learning about it and seeing what is happening."

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Images and video are harder to get because the Internet has been cut off, but that dream is still there.

"I hope one day I can go back to a free Cuba. I hope this thing works. Whatever is happening now," said Graciela Yglesias.