Jamaica’s former Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has been awarded one of Cuba’s highest honors, even as her husband, Errald Miller, confirmed that the beloved leader is quietly facing a private health struggle.
By Presidential Decree No. 1039 on July 10, 2025, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez bestowed the Medal of Friendship on Simpson Miller for her decades of solidarity with Cuba and her steadfast call for an end to the U.S. embargo. The award was presented on Wednesday at a ceremony at the Cuban Embassy in Kingston by Cuban Ambassador Fermín Quiñones.
Reading from a citation before the presentation, Quiñones said the medal reflects “the feelings of an entire people in recognition of her history of solidarity with Cuba and her contribution and unconditional commitment to the defence of the Cuban Revolution, peace, and the sovereignty and independence of peoples.” He hailed Simpson Miller—affectionately known as Sista P—as “an impeccable friend of Cuba” who never wavered “even in the most difficult moments,” including her repeated calls at the United Nations for the lifting of the U.S. economic blockade.
The ambassador highlighted the long-standing ties between the two countries, from the training of Jamaican doctors in Cuba to Cuban-built institutions such as the José Martí Technical High School and the G.C. Foster College of Physical Education and Sport. He also recalled Simpson Miller’s close friendship with the late Fidel Castro and his brother, Army General Raúl Castro.
Accepting the medal on her behalf, Errald Miller said it was “a pleasure to collect this on behalf of Portia,” adding that the words of tribute “brought her alive” in his mind. He recounted their visit to Cuba, where they experienced the warmth and solidarity of the Cuban people.
“I have never seen a country and a people that have so little and give so much,” Miller told The Gleaner. “You just look across the world at things that Cuba has been involved with, and you’ll see that my words are clear. … You give so much of yourself to the people of the world.”
But Miller also used the moment to reveal a deeply personal truth. Speaking emotionally after the ceremony, he confirmed to The Gleaner that Simpson Miller, 79, is living with dementia—a progressive brain condition that affects memory, thinking and language.
“That’s my life. I live for nothing else but her at this time,” he said. “I have a lot of opportunities, but I have dropped all of those things. I live only for her. Only for her.”
Miller, who has been her primary caregiver, explained that she remains in the early stages of the illness.
“She still eats, drinks, sleeps, walks, talks to us who are around,” he said. “You will probably see her stare at you, and then once you go and get the hug and the kiss, we know that she recognises who it is.”
He noted that she no longer answers the phone regularly and often speaks in short phrases, but emphasized that she has not reached the more debilitating stages often associated with dementia. He said that the former prime minister still gets visitors, but no photographs are allowed.
People’s National Party Chairman Dr. Angela Brown Burke expressed gratitude on behalf of the party, saying members would be “heartened” to know that Simpson Miller’s bond with Cuba remains cherished and publicly acknowledged.
The honor—and Miller’s candid revelation—came as the world marked World Alzheimer’s Day on September 21, a global effort to raise awareness about dementia and related conditions.
