Rapper Pitbull is in the headlines for an amazing reason: he just sent his private plane to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico to pick up cancer patients and move them to the U.S., where they can continue receiving chemotherapy and other lifesaving treatments.
The move comes as hospitals, homes and businesses throughout Puerto Rico lack power and resources in the wake of Hurricane Maria’s ravaging effects on the island.
Puerto Rico Congresswoman Jenniffer González tweeted her gratitude to Pitbull, whose real name is Armando Christian Perez, on Tuesday, writing in Spanish: “Thanks to singer @pitbull for lending your private plane to transport cancer patients from PR to USA so that they can get chemo.”
Gracias al cantante @pitbull x prestar avión privado para trasladar pacientes de cáncer de PR a USA para q puedan tomar quimio @DeptSaludPR
— Jenniffer González (@Jenniffer) September 26, 2017
And after Pitbull was thanked publicly by González, he offered up a humble response, The New York Daily News reported.
“Thank God we’re blessed to help,” he said in a statement to the outlet. “Just doing my part.”
Pitbull’s good deed comes as Puerto Rico remains in dire shape after Hurricane Maria ripped through the region, leaving the entire island without power, cell phone services, water and resources — a scenario that Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello has called an “unprecedented disaster.”
Please donate TODAY to #UnitedForPuertoRico pic.twitter.com/boEisWjWrX
— jlo (@JLo) September 25, 2017
Other celebrities like Jennifer Lopez have also jumped in to help, with Lopez pledging $1 million of her own money to help recovery efforts.