Throughout my career as a director at Hernán Bustos – Real Estate Experts, I have visited thousands of homes. I have analysed square metres and qualities, but the years have taught me that a house is an empty structure if there is no life beating inside it. And sometimes, that life is struck by the harshest reality: cancer.

Today, I am not writing as a director or as a property consultant. I am writing as someone who knows the coldness that this disease leaves in a home. I lost my father to cancer, and I know exactly what happens when the diagnosis comes through the door. I know how the atmosphere in rooms changes, how priorities are transformed and, above all, I know how tempting it is to keep quiet so as not to hurt others.

Don’t fight cancer alone

I have seen many people try to bear cancer in silence, believing that this way they are protecting their children, partners or friends. This is a mistake. From my own experience, I can tell you that loneliness is a burden that no one should bear in this battle.

Fighting cancer alone does not spare your loved ones pain; on the contrary, it deprives them of the opportunity to support you. In my family, we learned that cancer is best fought when it is shared. Giving visibility to the disease, calling it by its name at the kitchen table and allowing others to help you is, paradoxically, what makes those suffering from the disease feel best. Knowing that you are not alone takes immense pressure off the patient’s shoulders.

A tribute to those who are here and those who have left us

In my daily life, I talk about inheritances, capital gains and contracts, but today I want to honour what really matters:

• To those who are battling cancer today: Do not build walls of silence. Your home is your fortress, but its foundations are the hands of those who love you. Allowing yourself to be cared for is an act of generosity.
• To those who beat cancer: Thank you for reminding us that there is room for hope within these walls.
• To those who, like my father, fell by the wayside: Your absence is a present pain, but your memory is what gives value to every corner of our homes.

My heartfelt advice

If cancer has knocked on your door, don’t try to be a lone hero. Houses have walls to give us privacy, not to isolate us. The best way to deal with this disease, for the good of all, is through transparency and shared affection.

The team at Hernán Bustos – Real Estate Experts and I do not think about properties. We think about people. Because at the end of the day, when we close the door to our homes, the only thing that really matters is that there are no secrets that distance us from those who need us most.

Warm regards,

Hernán Bustos