The José Carreras Foundation welfare flats provide a solution to many patients such as Victor, who live too far from the hospital to return home after the transplant. If a patient has a family member willing to act as their carer then it is possible to stay in the welfare flats, which are locate 50 metres from the hospital. The patients can stay for up to 20 days after their transplant in order to receive treatment and care in this comfortable environment.

In March 2010, Victor was hospitalized to undergo a bone marrow transplant, following a relapse in his illness. Victor lives in Sabadell, which at 20 km away from Barcelona makes it impossible to reach Hospital Clínic in less than an hour during rush hour. Due to his place of residence we offered him our welfare flat so that he could recuperate in a calm environment, "just like home".

"Due to the fact that the flat is so clase to the hospital gives you a peace of mind", says Victor, "in addition, in a flat of Carreras, of his Foundation, of a person that was cured 22 more than years ago fills me with a lot of energy and optimism". 

Victor, with his wife, Lídia (right) and Cristina, a nurse on the transplant patient housing programme.

"I take his temperature, I give him his tablets, I control his insulin and heparin injections (Victor is diabetic)...", explained Lídia. The only thing that they cannot do for Victor in the flat is a blood transfusion, but for everything else he is in the hands of Cristina, Susana, and Adela, the nurses in charge of home visits from the Hematology Unit at Hospital Clínic. The companion, in this case Lídia, helps and learns whatever possible.

Today, after many months fighting, he has returned home for good but before he left he wrote a message of thanks in the visitor's book of the welfare flat. He is very excited because he and Lídia have two children, aged 10 and 16, who had to stay with Victor's sister. "They are fine but keen to be reunited. They are very worried", stated Lídia.

If you would like to see a report about Victor in the Foundation's welfare flat, please click HERE (catalan).

Become a member of the cure for leukaemia and other haematological malignancies, HERE

Find out more about bone marrow donation, HERE