Medical stay in Spain

A safe haven for Marcos

A woman and her son sitting next to each other on the steps leading into their Airbnb stay, smiling at the camera.

“Here you have a safe haven, a home where you can be at peace with your family and you can have those moments away from the hospital.”

– Marcos, Airbnb.org guest

When Marcos was just 14 years old, doctors in Spain discovered a 9-centimetre tumour – roughly the size of a large grapefruit – in his pelvis. Diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a bone cancer that occurs most often in children between 10 and 20 years old, Marcos’ entire world changed. Marcos and his mother, Maria, spent much of the next three years travelling to Madrid so Marcos could receive appropriate treatment and medical care. Life became a revolving door of doctors, chemotherapy, radiology treatments and countless medical tests. They lived three hours away in Burgos with Maria’s husband and daughter – too far from the hospital for a boy living with a rare and aggressive form of cancer. “Ewing’s sarcoma is a disease where, if the child has even a slight fever, the child has to be admitted, because it’s a very deadly disease,” Maria said. In the first year of treatment, Marcos and Maria were only allowed to return home once for her husband’s birthday in May.

A women is loading the dishwasher in the kitchen while her son is sitting on the sofa in the living room.

Finding community in MadridIn Madrid, during the early days of treatment when they weren’t in the hospital, Marcos and Maria found connection with other families and children undergoing treatment through Ronald McDonald House. “It’s nice because you’re with people who really understand you,” Maria said. “Because you’re with families who are going through the same thing as you are, even if it’s a different cancer.” As important as that sense of community was for mother and son, it eventually became necessary to Marcos’ mental health for them to seek other accommodation. They started booking stays through Airbnb. At first, Maria paid for these out of her own pocket and it was putting a strain on her already limited finances – until Fundación Aladina connected her with Airbnb.org.

A woman is on the sofa with her son laying his head on her lap.

A different kind of medicine, the comforts of homeAirbnb.org partners with organisations like Fundación Aladina in Spain to provide free, short-term housing to families and individuals travelling to get medical care far from home. “My son gives me strength,” Maria said of her son. “After so many relapses and years of struggle, my son has been an example to me.”Stays like these are made possible with support from Airbnb.org donors, who provide relief to parents like Maria, and a sense of normality and comfort to patients like Marcos.

A woman and her son are sitting on the sofa, laughing and smiling.

“Having a place to stay, a place where you feel at home, a place where you can relax and a place that’s very close to the hospital. You can’t put a price on that.”

– Maria, Airbnb.org guest

Above all, Marcos values the peace and quiet he has access to in a home through Airbnb.org.In his own words, a stay through Airbnb.org is “the closest thing to home”.