Essència Barceloneta

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The health of the neighbourhood

  • #5/2023, Health

Teresa Darriba, a neighbour and a customer.

Welcome to the new health section of our neighbourhood magazine. The Miró Pharmacy begins this collaboration with Essència Barceloneta, where health issues and news of interest will be discussed. To inaugurate this section, Toni Miró, fourth generation of pharmacists in the neighbourhood, has interviewed Teresa Darriba, an eighty-three-year-old neighbour who is a regular patient of the pharmacy:

 

How many years have you been coming to this pharmacy?

All my life, and my mother used to come here too. I was taken to Barcelona when I was three months old, and since then we have been coming to this pharmacy, so you can imagine how many years it’s been. And I have always come here.

 

It’s many years without changing. What makes you trust us?

Well, it’s as if I were at home. Dealing with you is a very important part for me.

 

Why do you value the way we treat you so much?
 
I come to the pharmacy to pick up the medicine that has been prescribed for me, and also for your guidance. And this is very much appreciated.

 
We have been in Barceloneta for 120 years, and this has created many memories in people’s lives. Could you tell me about an unforgettable memory you have of us?
 
I remember when your father, while doing his military service, broke both his wrists. And your grandfather wouldn’t let him rest. When he got his leave, he made him come to work. I remember how he wore his wrists in casts. I remember that image perfectly. It also crosses my mind that your grandfather was very horny (laughs). I’ve always felt at home, to be honest.
 
 
I’ve been told that he had many admirers in the neighbourhood.
 
And it’s true. And when he was on the other corner, before you switched places, he also dealt with your great-grandmother Sabina.
 
 
Did you also know her husband, who was the one who started the business?
 
Not him, I think he died young.
 
 
Yes, it was in 1927. Sabina ran a pharmacy in the 1920s when her husband died. This was unusual at that time. What was that pharmacy like?
 
It was very tiny, and you had to go down a few steps to get in.
 
 
Other neighbours have explained to me that it was destroyed during the war. And then it changed location. Changing the subject, do you think the pharmacy helps you to treat your health problems?
 
Always! For example, when I come back from the doctor, many times I don’t remember what they told me, and I’m lucky to have you. I come here and you solve any doubt I have. If I have any questions, I also call you, and between the whole team, you always solve the problems I have with my medications.
 
 
We help whenever we can. Now we have launched a teleconsultation service on our website. You can arrange a visit and we will solve any doubt you may have.
 
I am old, but you do well adapting to the new times.
Sometimes, I don’t even need anything, and I just come in to say hello. Lately, it has been many days since I have been here, and when I came in, you asked me if something had happened to me. I appreciate that you care about me beyond work.
 
 
That’s the thing about being a centenary store.
 
I prefer the small stores in the neighbourhood, although there are fewer and fewer of them. I find it more welcoming, and I like this familiarity. I hope you will be here for many years to come.
La salut del barri

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