What to Say and How to Face Illness: A Workshop in Benalmádena to Learn How to Support Through Suffering

What to say when someone receives a serious diagnosis? How to be there without being invasive, without running away, and without going blank? Accompanying suffering... is one of the most difficult and, at the same time, most human experiences that exist. Illness, suffering, and death, whether one's own or that of loved ones, is something that everyone goes through at some point, most without any preparation. However, there are emotional care tools that can be used in these extreme situations to navigate them with more serenity and meaning.

The Cudeca Institute has organized a workshop for this Wednesday, March 4, with two experts in accompaniment: Enric Benito, a humanist doctor, oncologist, and a Spanish reference in palliative care, and Elisa Romero, a palliative care nurse at CUDECA, to help address vulnerability and suffering in situations where, apparently, there is no way out.

The workshop, which will be held at the headquarters of the Cudeca Institute (Avenida del Cosmos, number 8, Benalmádena), is aimed at anyone who wants to reflect on the vulnerability of life and care, those who have had to accompany sick family members and loved ones, and health professionals. Those interested can purchase tickets for the event here.

As the main theme of the day, excerpts from the documentary 'There's a Door There' will be shown, a work that captures the conversations between Enric Benito and Fernando, a patient diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), who is looking to make decisions about his own death. The screening will be accompanied by guided spaces for personal reflection and dialogue, to extract lessons applicable in the day-to-day management of the disease.

Through these conversations and the experience of professionals like Enric Benito and Elisa Romero, the day aims to open a calm space to talk about what is almost never discussed. Because learning to accompany is also possible, and doing it better can make a decisive difference in one of the most delicate moments of life.