A house in Sanchinarro to give back to children what cancer has stolen from them

Casa Aladina is expected to open its doors in 2028, Paco Arango, director of this non-profit foundation, tells ABC that for almost two decades it has been helping children and adolescents going through this complicated situation and collaborating with pediatric oncology patients from various hospitals in Madrid as well as throughout the country. It will be a comprehensive support day center for these minors, families and survivors of childhood cancer which will be located in the Sanchinarro neighborhood, in the Hortaleza district. “It’s not a place to have fun, which of course they will have fun, but the child with cancer spends a lot of their illness at home. They will come here once they have been given their medications so that instead of being at home, they can play, study or do whatever they want, but in an environment with more people like them”, describes Arango, who insists that the aim of creating this space that will complement hospital treatment is to “take away the strength of cancer”.

Lucas is being treated at the Niño Jesús Children’s Hospital, “it’s like being in paradise”, says Teresa, but “you still need an environment that is not a hospital”. In addition to therapeutic leisure and emotional therapy, at Casa Aladina there will be programs with dogs and physical exercise activities, which will “improve health, mood, well-being and resistance to side effects”. Ultimately, Arango explains, “60% of children with cancer have physical consequences, a child with cancer is cured, but unfortunately they continue to have problems.” Thus, this space, which will have an area of ​​15,000 square meterswill treat both oncology patients and those who have already had the disease.

Casa Aladina was the winning project in the municipal competition. Last February, Madrid City Hall awarded this foundation land in the Hortaleza neighborhood through a free public concession for its construction. The investment to make this project a reality amounts to 15 million euros, of which 7 million have already been raised through donations. To obtain more donations, this foundation strives to disseminate its work not only to individuals, but also to large companies so that they get involved. “We are trying to get the Alcaraz family to make pickleball courts for us,” continues the director of this entity.

This space, whose construction has already begun, will be located at number 2 Margarita Street in Parma, and it is there that all these programs will be carried out, in a space surrounded by green spaces and gardens and in which there will be three interconnected complexes. The main building will have a cinema and television room, a music area, a gym with indoor swimming pool and climbing wall, but also psychological care consultations, rest areas for parents and even a cooking school.

The auditorium building will include a theater and conference room; and outside these facilities there will be an ecological garden, an area where canine therapy will be practiced, small cabins for recreational and therapeutic activities and even a golf circuit, in which John Rahm is collaborating for its construction, said Arango.

Finally, Casa Aladina will have a “for life” building, where therapies will be provided to support parents and family members in their grief. Although the survival rate is approximately 80% for childhood cancer, support for family members of those who did not survive is a crucial issue. This complex, “after 20 years of knowing the needs that exist on this issue”, was born with the idea of ​​supporting the families of deceased patients, “who lack specialized programs and support systems at a fundamental moment”.

The moment Lucas was diagnosed with this tumor, his life, along with those of his parents and brother, was changed forever. “Spending a lot of time in hospital, he cannot go to school regularly. It doesn’t affect him now, but as he gets older he will lose a lot of friends,” says Teresa, who sees in this new work “a space that will allow him not to abandon children’s things.”

But it will also be a place where family members can interact with people who understand their pain: “Creating a place like this will allow us to live with people in the same situation as us, in which we will not have to give explanations and everything will work more naturally,” says this mother, who adds that it will also be something positive for her son since “they will stop wondering why their hair is falling out and will deal with the situation in a more natural way.”

But what they appreciate most is the psychological assistance, both during this complex journey and afterwards, “both after being healed and having to mourn death”. The step to be taken every day, emphasizes Jesus, the father of Luke, is “terrible”. “The head thinks about the same thing all the time: illness. And even if you talk about it with the parents of other children, they never get an answer that reassures you,” he adds. Both parents agree that going through the heartbreak of saying goodbye to a child so young is something “no one wants to think about”, but that there is a space to go if unfortunately it ends up happening and having “the support of psychologists and families who are going through something similar will be very positive”.