"I used to cry every night before I went to bed," said Cuban native Gresia Cabrera.
When Cabrera was only 6 years old, her father was arrested in Cuba for being a youth pastor.
"My family has always been very involved in church and we knew that was something that we couldn't very open about," said Cabrera.
Her father was sentenced to eight to 20 years for rebellion. A visit from Pope John Paul II helped free him and others. After four years without her father, Cabrera and her family made it to Kansas City.
PHOTOS: A visit to Cuba five years ago this week
"It was a shock, it was a culture shock, I went from not having enough food and being hungry to having all the food I could ever ask for," said Cabrera.
Cabrera says President Barack Obama's visit to Cuba isn't necessarily a good thing for the country, especially for those who have escaped the dictatorship.
"It feels like they are legitimizing this dictatorship that has murder thousands of thousands of people and has abused and humiliated thousands and thousands more," said Cabrera.
The feeling is shared by Ernesto Ariel Suarez. At the age of 14, he became an activist, and left the country when he was 20. A visit to Cuba for him could lead to an arrest.
"Hoping to see my family who is always there, I would really like to see them but I cannot go back, so that's that," said Suarez.
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Ali Hoxie can be reached at ali.hoxie@kshb.com.
