Childhood cancer is a global scourge that affects 150,000 children every yearBut in spite of everything, these brave little ones never lose their smile and they face disease with strength and courage, worthy of admiration.
Children give us great life lessons, even in the most complicated moments. And this is well known by Jesus, a volunteer at the children's oncology plant at the Virgen del Rocío Hospital in Seville, where he has been collaborating for more than a year sharing the hospitalized children.
"That child's eyes transmitted something special to me"
Every Sunday for almost a year and a halfJesus, a teacher of Infant Education, travels through the semi-basement floor of the Virgen del Rocío Hospital in Seville, where children suffering from cancer are hospitalized. Spend with them a little game and laugh, making them forget for a moment the hard ordeal they are suffering.
In Babies and more An advanced unit is opened at the Hospital de la Paz to treat children with difficult cancers"I wear six years working as a volunteer in this hospital, accompanying the children and their families. But it was not until a year ago when I finally launched myself to collaborate in the oncology plant "- Jesus says excitedly.
He remembers perfectly the precise moment in which he knew that his volunteering should go to more. It happened during a walk through his Sevillian neighborhood, when he crossed the street with a father who accompanied his son with cancer.
"The boy and I looked at each other and his eyes transmitted something special to me. I had a very deep feeling inside and at that time I knew that I should do something to help children with cancer "- And that's how Jesus got in touch with the Association of Parents of Children with Cancer in Andalusia, ANDEX, and He started collaborating with them.
During your volunteer hours, Jesus goes through all the rooms of the hospital in the area of children's oncology, asking the little ones how they are, emotionally and physically accompanying their relatives, and encouraging the children to walk and play in the games room that has the hospital enabled.
The volunteers propose activities, games, chat with the children and seek to achieve that special laugh that will transport them for a moment to a world of color, carefreeness and fun.For Jesus, The experience of volunteering with children with cancer is very strong, difficult to describe with words, and that engages and teaches like nothing else in life can do it.
In Babies and more The beautiful photographs of four girls who fought and defeated cancer together"The connection that is established with the children in the oncology plant is incredible. They spend a lot of time there and both them and their parents you end up feeling them as part of your family. You take a great love, you get to know their history and their lives very thoroughly, you suffer when they have a bad time and you are infinitely happy when you see them well "- he acknowledges.
Three moments. Three traces in the soul
When I ask Jesus about anecdotes or experiences that have marked you positively In this year he has been volunteering oncology, he confesses that it is really difficult for him to choose only a few, every moment with "your children" -As he calls them- they always have something magical and special.
"One day, a little boy came to the hospital's playroom accompanied by his mother and started playing with some dolls. After a while he raised his head, looked at me and told his mother about how short he" wanted to play with me " , and made a gesture with his little hand to get me closer. And at that moment I felt tremendously lucky and I remember thinking, why did he choose me and not another? So happy, and grateful for the opportunity to share my time with him, we started to play "- remember excited.
Another day, Jesus witnessed a scene that made him think about the meaning of his life, his volunteering and how he needed to continue giving his best to help the children. The sensitivity of your words remembering the moment It leaves me breathless:
"I saw a girl paint, and the emotion of her strokes, the happiness of her face and the strength of her childhood, fascinated me. I told her that I loved her drawing and she, with a smile from ear to ear thanked me and he kept painting totally oblivious to his reality "
"At that moment I knew that my volunteering had become an essential part of my life, and a way of continuing to delve inside me. Because, after all, all the colors that that girl was expressing in a role are part of life as a whole and who better than her to show it! "
Another of the moments she remembers with great affection is when she found a patient in the street with her used to share games in the hospital. And is that the moment of see the children recovered outside the hospital environment It is undoubtedly one of the greatest joys for volunteers.
In Babies and more Four years later, three girls and a boy recreate a viral photo that represents the fight against cancer "I saw her on the street accompanied by her grandmother and a pink scarf on her head. She was happy, and when she saw me she exclaimed excitedly: Look, it's Jesus! I felt a great satisfaction to see her walk outside the hospital, although I recognize that I had missed her a lot when playing "
"And to think that I entered her life through a simple drawing that I did the first day I met her in the hospital and now I was seeing her happy, walking down the street and breaking a light that could not even compete with the same sun. Because it was the light of his heart "
Chatting with Jesus appeases the soul, and fills you with serenity and love. His Andalusian grace, the sensitivity of his words, and his enormous heart are his best hallmarks. And although I strongly believe that I have much to learn from him, Jesus insists that the best lessons are always given by the little ones, and above all, the little great fighters.
Photos iStock, Pixabay
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