The idea was born far from the hospital’s consultation rooms and corridors, specifically at the nurse’s own home. The father of three young children, Bergua was looking for a way to explain what his job involved when they asked him what he had done during the day. He wanted to introduce them to the realities of healthcare without frightening them, and discovered that there were hardly any materials adapted to explain these situations to children.
He then began creating short stories starring children who go through experiences similar to those they may face during an illness. What started as a way to answer his children’s curiosity eventually became a collection of 48 stories aimed at making the healthcare world easier to understand, using accessible language adapted to different age groups.
In the stories, children can learn what happens when they are put in a cast, have an X-ray or need to undergo a blood test. The stories also address more complex illnesses, such as type 1 diabetes and childhood cancer, with the aim of helping both patients and their families understand treatments and face these situations more calmly.
THE STORIES HAVE ALSO REACHED ZARAGOZA’S MIGUEL SERVET HOSPITAL
“Children understand much more than we think. When they know what is going to happen to them, their fear and anxiety decrease, and they cope better with the situation,” explains Lorenzo Bergua. One of the initiative’s aims is precisely to reduce the uncertainty that medical tests can cause by providing children with age-appropriate information and helping them express their questions.
The stories cover everything from X-rays and blood tests to illnesses such as diabetes and cancer. Photo: DGA
The collection is not aimed solely at hospitalised children. It is also intended to become a resource for families and healthcare professionals, who often have to explain difficult procedures at sensitive moments. Thanks to a donation campaign promoted by the author himself, the 48 stories have already reached San Jorge Hospital in Huesca and Miguel Servet Children’s Hospital in Zaragoza.
The project has also expanded beyond hospitals with the creation of the Cuentos Sanitarios digital platform and a virtual classroom, designed to explore these stories in schools and healthcare settings. In addition, each story comes with complementary materials, including a guide for healthcare professionals, another for teachers and an activity workbook that allows the content to be explored in an educational way.
With this addition, Huesca’s San Jorge University Hospital is expanding its resources to humanise paediatric care and reduce the emotional impact of childhood illness. The stories will be available to professionals and families so that children can better understand what is happening to them and face medical visits with less uncertainty and greater confidence.
