The serious illness of a child stops the world: their health is the center, the only thing that matters. However, reality imposes itself, and the procedures and arrangements that a diagnosis entails are not few, and they multiply exponentially when the illness requires treatment that is not available near home. Barcelona's leading pediatric centers handle multiple cases of children who require attention and interventions for serious illnesses, and many families must travel to them from other provinces, other autonomous communities, or even other countries. With the aim of welcoming these families and facilitating their stay in Barcelona, the city has resources to accommodate them. Among them, services such as the Ronald McDonald House stand out, which has been serving families for over two decades.
"There is no better place to live while going through something like this with a child," says one of the mothers temporarily residing at the center while preparing food in the communal kitchen. She doesn't do it alone: she is surrounded by other relatives of the children who require attention, mostly —or practically entirely— mothers, although there are also cases where children requiring treatment move with both parents or with other relatives, such as grandparents or siblings.
Since the Barcelona house opened 22 years ago, it has hosted more than 1,200 families.Going through such a difficult process accompanied by other families in a similar situation is crucial for her, who has moved from Galicia to Barcelona for her son to undergo a transplant, the second in a few years. "We give each other entertainment and mutual support, it's a release for everyone", she explains.
In this way, the center "is not only accommodation, but also company", explains another of the mothers. She has just arrived from the hospital with her two daughters, one of whom is undergoing treatment. Together they temporarily reside in one of the center's 15 rooms, with a capacity for up to six people and identified with figures of cheerful animals. As far removed as possible from the numbering of hospital rooms, as the house manager, Mari Carmen Toledo, points out.
Keeping a distance from the hospital environment is one of their maxims when children and their families are in the house, even when doctors must visit them at the center: "White coats are not allowed here," emphasizes Toledo, who manages the house along with three other people, supported by a team of volunteers. There are now 35 of them, some of whom have been collaborating with the center since its opening in 2002, on land ceded by the City Council. The center, well connected to reference hospitals on the Vall d'Hebron promenade, then became the first Ronald McDonald House to open nationwide. It did so two decades after the foundation was created in Philadelphia, driven by American football player Fred Hill after his daughter was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of five. Together with oncologist Audrey Evans, they partnered with McDonald's, and promoted the foundation that now has more than 380 houses worldwide and also family rooms in hospitals, with four in Spain, including Vall d'Hebron. Since the Barcelona house opened 22 years ago, it has hosted more than 1,200 families.
While Toledo explains it, the smells mix in the kitchen, just as conversations and languages mix among the mothers preparing food. And it is that Catalan families live in the house, but also families from the rest of Spain and the world, who always arrive referred from social services. "The automatic translator is a daily tool here," highlights Toledo. Throughout its more than two decades of activity, conversations in English, French, Russian, and Arabic, among many languages, have been heard in the corridors and spaces of the house.
From the kitchen, conversations are now heard only in Spanish, though with different accents. A Catalan family, a Galician family, and a Mallorcan family are catching up. The families, with children up to 21 years old, share the kitchen and play and rest areas in the house, which totals 1,535 square meters. In addition, they have an outdoor patio, laundry, and classrooms where classes are taught to children and activities are held daily. "We are like a community," says one of the mothers. A family of families.
Lunchtime is approaching, and more women are filling the kitchen. Each family is responsible for filling their own fridge, while accommodation is covered by the foundation. For the affected families, having accessed the house has represented a before and after, as one of the mothers illustrates while finishing the meal. "When we were referred to Barcelona, we were looking for accommodation but the price was unaffordable, we had nowhere to go," she says. In addition, many of those who temporarily relocate for a child to receive treatment are forced to stop working. And the periods can be weeks or months, and also years. The family that has been residing in the house the longest now exceeds two years, and another was housed in the center for five years.
"All of that generates anxiety and uncertainty also for the time of returning, but what matters is that everything goes well here," highlights another of the mothers. And treatments can be long; many are linked to oncology, although they go further and cover any treatment, such as cases of transplants and neurological diseases. In this difficult process, the house aims to provide families with an environment in which to lead a family life that is as close as possible to a normal life, in a situation that is not.
To carry out its activity, the house requires an annual budget of 400,000 euros for its operation and maintenance, which come from the support of administrations, donations from individuals and companies, and self-financing, which is pursued with events such as a solidarity evening organized by the Magic Hearts Foundation in June. All to offer families a home away from home, a space in which to combat illness with the possibility of feeling at home and building a community.