And I say it like this because in this society we live in, I no longer believed that human beings did things out of altruism. But the professionals I met at the Vall d'Hebron hospital showed me that they are there giving their lives so that others can be well. It amazed me to find people who give so much without expecting anything in return. They love you before they even know you! And then they start taking care of you. But, from the start, what they do is transmit a love that you don't expect. That's why I wrote them this thank you letter. They are my idols. It had been years since I had perceived a similar level of love, generosity, and dedication.
«It amazed me to find people who give so much without expecting anything in return.»In hospitals, in addition to managing health, they manage life and death and, therefore, fear. A very special moment when I was admitted was eight in the morning, when the medical team came to visit you. For a sick person, non-verbal language is much more important than words. A doctor can tell you: "Come on, this is going to heal!", and you can see in his face that something is wrong. Or the surgeon looks at your operation wounds and tells you: "This looks good!", but you only breathe when he gives you a confident pat on the shoulder. The nurses' smiles also comforted me a lot when they came to ask me how my pain was. In moments like these, every tiny detail can make or break your day. In fact, I learned that you can care without speaking.
«In fact, I learned that you can care without speaking.»It is clear that, in addition to technical knowledge, caregivers need great emotional intelligence, both to treat the sick and to internally manage what they experience every day. That is why the support and training offered to both professionals and family members through initiatives such as the Program for the Comprehensive Care of People with Advanced Illnesses of the "la Caixa" Social Work, which is endorsed by the World Health Organization, and whose strength lies in psychosocial care teams trained to attend to patients and families in the most humane and sensitive way possible. I realized the importance of caring for family members once I was at La Paz Hospital in Madrid, playing my guitar through the rooms of the oncology ward, as part of a music therapy program, and I saw an 18-year-old boy who had just been diagnosed cancer. I started playing and I got a smile out of the kid, but I couldn't cheer up his parents. And you, as a sick person, need the people around you to be well, you need their affection. And sometimes for outsiders everything is more difficult. When you live with the illness, you know at all times what you feel, how you are, and how far you can go. But the people who care for you don't know, and therefore, they worry much more if one day, for example, they see you with dark circles under your eyes. That's why you also have to know how to communicate to them when you are well. The sick person can also help the caregiver.
"We have come into the world to take care of each other."Contrary to what people may think, the sick person is the one who has the most control over their life, in the sense that you give much more value to your time and live life with more intensity. We are not here for nonsense! I, for example, arrived from Mexico two hours ago. Next week I will go to Greece on a sailboat. Then I will play in Madrid and then continue touring until the end of the year. Since I was diagnosed with the disease, I have written the book 50 sticks and I keep dreaming, I have recorded an album and done a tour. I don't waste time thinking about the future. For me, living is urgent. Of course, what I would like is for tomorrow Helena, my oncologist, to call me and tell me: "Hey, I have a pill that you're going to take and ciao to the disease." But while it arrives, I would tell people with chronic diseases to be patient, that life goes on and that it can be lived in an exciting way, even if one day they have to stay on the sofa, with a blanket and TV. And to caregivers who have had to acquire that role, I would tell them that, although it is a very difficult situation, it is also is a great way to show love to your family member, your friend, or your partner. We have come into the world to take care of each other. And if we all did, the world would be much better.
Interview: Ana Portolés
You can read more stories like these at ALMA, the social social network, a digital space dedicated to the social sphere that offers a new perspective on the present and future of society, based on an optimistic and diverse voice, and on all the initiatives promoted by "la Caixa" Social Project.Add The New Barcelona Post as your preferred Google source for free
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