When a child is diagnosed with cancer, a family’s life can change in an instant. For families in Ibiza and Formentera, the challenge can be even greater: essential paediatric oncology care requires travelling to Mallorca, leaving behind their homes, jobs, schools and support networks.

For almost four decades, ASPANOB, the Association of Families of Children with Cancer of the Balearic Islands, has helped families navigate this difficult reality. Founded in 1987, the organisation provides accommodation, psychological support, practical assistance and moments of respite for children and their relatives during treatment.

Its work is particularly important for families from the Pitiusas, who may need to spend months away from home while their child receives specialist care at Son Espases University Hospital in Palma.

A Place to Stay When Families Need It Most

ASPANOB was founded by Eulàlia Rubio after her son was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of four. During his treatment, she met families who had travelled from Ibiza, Formentera and Menorca and were struggling to find somewhere to stay near the hospital.

Some paid for hotels for months, others relied on friends, while some parents even slept in their cars.

The association grew from the recognition that families needed more than medical treatment alone. They needed somewhere safe and comfortable to live while supporting their children through hospital stays and long treatment schedules.

Today, ASPANOB maintains four furnished accommodation flats near Son Espases. The service is provided free of charge and includes half-board meals throughout the family’s stay. Two of the flats are on the ground floor and have patios, allowing children who need greater protection from infections to spend time outdoors in a more controlled environment.

The accommodation is designed to help families establish a temporary routine during a period when almost everything else may feel uncertain.

Psychological Support, Music Therapy and Practical Help

ASPANOB’s work extends well beyond accommodation. The association provides psychological support for children, parents and their wider family environment, including grandparents and siblings. Support is available from the beginning of the illness and can continue throughout treatment and afterwards.

Music therapy is another part of its programme, offering children opportunities to play instruments, sing, compose or simply listen to music in a setting where hospital life can otherwise dominate their days.

The organisation also provides financial assistance when families face immediate expenses. Depending on individual circumstances, this may include help with groceries, medication or other essential needs, assessed in coordination with social services.

Activities for children and siblings are equally important. ASPANOB organises workshops, leisure activities and family-respite experiences, including a summer school for children affected by cancer and their brothers and sisters. These programmes recognise that siblings can also struggle when family life revolves around illness and hospital treatment.

The association also works to help children continue their education during prolonged periods away from school.

The Numbers Behind the Need in Ibiza and Formentera

Between 2023 and 2026, ASPANOB supported nine children from Ibiza and Formentera, according to figures provided by the association. Its accommodation flats hosted 42 people from Ibiza and 29 from Formentera during that period.

In 2026, the association reported two new childhood cancer cases in the Pitiusas, one of them diagnosed only a few weeks before the October report. Across the Balearic Islands, ASPANOB recorded 14 new cases that year.

The figures illustrate why accommodation remains so important. Families may need to stay in Mallorca for many months, and some require support for years because of extended treatment, relapses or follow-up appointments.

The four flats are often fully occupied. When no suitable accommodation is available, the regional health service may have to arrange hotel stays, which can be expensive and may leave families further away from the hospital.

The Family Experience Behind the Statistics

Alicia Cardona and her daughter Abril know what this support means in practice. Abril was around 18 months old when a scan in Ibiza detected a large tumour that required further investigation and treatment in Mallorca.

The family travelled to Son Espases in June 2021. Abril underwent chemotherapy and surgery, and mother and daughter spent seven and a half months away from Ibiza during the main treatment period.

Cardona recalls the shock of receiving the diagnosis, learning unfamiliar medical terminology and having to make urgent decisions while trying to understand what was happening to her daughter.

The family’s experience also showed how much the environment around treatment matters. Cardona described the oncology ward as a warmer, more welcoming place thanks to the details and support provided by ASPANOB. She also valued being connected with other parents who understood what the family was going through.

For families in this situation, the association’s role is not to replace medical care. It is to make the experience of receiving that care more manageable, providing practical help and human connection when both are urgently needed.

Funding an Essential Service

ASPANOB’s work depends on a combination of public funding, private donations and fundraising activities. According to the association’s figures reported in October 2026, public grants cover approximately 35% of its budget, with the remainder coming from private contributions, charitable events and membership support.

Housing costs are among its largest expenses, making donations especially important for maintaining the accommodation service.

The association’s representatives have also highlighted a challenge for families from Ibiza and Formentera: some local organisations and institutions prioritise donations to charities formally based on their own island. ASPANOB argues that, despite being founded in Mallorca, it provides essential support to families throughout the Balearics, including those from the Pitiusas.

A first charitable event organised with the Formentera Island Council during summer 2026 was welcomed as a positive step towards raising awareness and support on the smaller island.

Supporting Families Beyond the Hospital

ASPANOB’s work highlights a difficult reality of healthcare in an island region. When specialist paediatric cancer services require families to travel to Mallorca, treatment involves more than hospital appointments. It can mean months away from home, disrupted employment, additional expenses and separation from relatives and friends.

Through free accommodation, psychological support, practical assistance and activities for children and siblings, ASPANOB helps families face those challenges with greater stability.

Its story is also a reminder that caring for a child with cancer involves supporting the whole family. When the world seems to stop after a diagnosis, having somewhere to stay, someone to talk to and help with everyday needs can make an enormous difference.