Transcend from Cancer to Birth. Reframing Illness Through Spirituality

Fernando Giraldo Piedrahita; Camilo Duque Ortíz; Andrés Felipe Tirado Otalvaro

doi:10.14198/cuid.27566

Transcend from Cancer to Birth. Reframing Illness Through Spirituality

Fernando Giraldo Piedrahita
, Camilo Duque Ortíz
, Andrés Felipe Tirado Otalvaro

Care

Research output: Contribution to scientific journal › Article in an indexed scientific journal › peer-review

Abstract

Patients with colorectal cancer suffer from multiple physical and mental ailments that lead them to seek refuge in spirituality. The objective of this study was to understand how people with colorectal cancer experience spirituality during their illness. A phenomenological study was conducted with 12 patients with colorectal cancer, and the interviews were transcribed and analyzed into thematic meaning units. The experience of the participants with colorectal cancer is represented by a central theme called “from cancer to birth, reformulating the disease through spirituality” and the subthemes: “spirituality as a source of strength to face the disease”, “having faith in a supreme being who guides doctors, a way to lose the fear of death and disease”, “Living again after being condemned to die,” and “Transcending from cancer to birth”. It is concluded that transcending from cancer to birth through spirituality gives colorectal cancer patients the strength to face the disease, lose the fear of death, and give them hope to live again after being condemned to die.

Translated title of the contribution	Trascender del cáncer al nacer. Reformulando la enfermedad desde la espiritualidad
Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	23-38
Number of pages	16
Journal	Cultura de los Cuidados
Issue number	72
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.14198/cuid.27566
State	Published - 22 Jan 2026

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2026 Fernando Giraldo Piedrahita, Camilo Duque Ortíz y Andrés Felipe Tirado Otalvaro Licencia: este trabajo se comparte bajo la licencia de Atribución-NoComercial CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional de Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Keywords

adaptation psychological
colonic neoplasms
colorectal neoplasms
hereditary nonpolyposis
religion and medicine
spirituality

Types Minciencias

Artículos de investigación con calidad A2 / Q2

Access to Document

10.14198/cuid.27566

Cite this

@article{a93a4de956bb40d295bf1351a9c63659,

title = "Transcend from Cancer to Birth. Reframing Illness Through Spirituality",

abstract = "Patients with colorectal cancer suffer from multiple physical and mental ailments that lead them to seek refuge in spirituality. The objective of this study was to understand how people with colorectal cancer experience spirituality during their illness. A phenomenological study was conducted with 12 patients with colorectal cancer, and the interviews were transcribed and analyzed into thematic meaning units. The experience of the participants with colorectal cancer is represented by a central theme called {\textquotedblleft}from cancer to birth, reformulating the disease through spirituality{\textquotedblright} and the subthemes: {\textquotedblleft}spirituality as a source of strength to face the disease{\textquotedblright}, {\textquotedblleft}having faith in a supreme being who guides doctors, a way to lose the fear of death and disease{\textquotedblright}, {\textquotedblleft}Living again after being condemned to die,{\textquotedblright} and {\textquotedblleft}Transcending from cancer to birth{\textquotedblright}. It is concluded that transcending from cancer to birth through spirituality gives colorectal cancer patients the strength to face the disease, lose the fear of death, and give them hope to live again after being condemned to die. {\textcopyright} 2026 Fernando Giraldo Piedrahita, Camilo Duque Ort{\'i}z y Andr{\'e}s Felipe Tirado Otalvaro Licencia: este trabajo se comparte bajo la licencia de Atribuci{\'o}n-NoComercial CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional de Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/",

keywords = "adaptation psychological, colonic neoplasms, colorectal neoplasms, hereditary nonpolyposis, religion and medicine, spirituality",

author = "Piedrahita, \{Fernando Giraldo\} and Ort{\'i}z, \{Camilo Duque\} and Otalvaro, \{Andr{\'e}s Felipe Tirado\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2026 Fernando Giraldo Piedrahita, Camilo Duque Ort{\'i}z y Andr{\'e}s Felipe Tirado Otalvaro Licencia: este trabajo se comparte bajo la licencia de Atribuci{\'o}n-NoComercial CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional de Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/",

year = "2026",

month = jan,

day = "22",

doi = "10.14198/cuid.27566",

language = "Ingl{\'e}s",

pages = "23--38",

journal = "Cultura de los Cuidados",

issn = "1138-1728",

publisher = "Universidad de Alicante",

number = "72",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Transcend from Cancer to Birth. Reframing Illness Through Spirituality

AU - Piedrahita, Fernando Giraldo

AU - Ortíz, Camilo Duque

AU - Otalvaro, Andrés Felipe Tirado

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2026 Fernando Giraldo Piedrahita, Camilo Duque Ortíz y Andrés Felipe Tirado Otalvaro Licencia: este trabajo se comparte bajo la licencia de Atribución-NoComercial CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional de Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

PY - 2026/1/22

Y1 - 2026/1/22

N2 - Patients with colorectal cancer suffer from multiple physical and mental ailments that lead them to seek refuge in spirituality. The objective of this study was to understand how people with colorectal cancer experience spirituality during their illness. A phenomenological study was conducted with 12 patients with colorectal cancer, and the interviews were transcribed and analyzed into thematic meaning units. The experience of the participants with colorectal cancer is represented by a central theme called “from cancer to birth, reformulating the disease through spirituality” and the subthemes: “spirituality as a source of strength to face the disease”, “having faith in a supreme being who guides doctors, a way to lose the fear of death and disease”, “Living again after being condemned to die,” and “Transcending from cancer to birth”. It is concluded that transcending from cancer to birth through spirituality gives colorectal cancer patients the strength to face the disease, lose the fear of death, and give them hope to live again after being condemned to die. © 2026 Fernando Giraldo Piedrahita, Camilo Duque Ortíz y Andrés Felipe Tirado Otalvaro Licencia: este trabajo se comparte bajo la licencia de Atribución-NoComercial CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional de Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

AB - Patients with colorectal cancer suffer from multiple physical and mental ailments that lead them to seek refuge in spirituality. The objective of this study was to understand how people with colorectal cancer experience spirituality during their illness. A phenomenological study was conducted with 12 patients with colorectal cancer, and the interviews were transcribed and analyzed into thematic meaning units. The experience of the participants with colorectal cancer is represented by a central theme called “from cancer to birth, reformulating the disease through spirituality” and the subthemes: “spirituality as a source of strength to face the disease”, “having faith in a supreme being who guides doctors, a way to lose the fear of death and disease”, “Living again after being condemned to die,” and “Transcending from cancer to birth”. It is concluded that transcending from cancer to birth through spirituality gives colorectal cancer patients the strength to face the disease, lose the fear of death, and give them hope to live again after being condemned to die. © 2026 Fernando Giraldo Piedrahita, Camilo Duque Ortíz y Andrés Felipe Tirado Otalvaro Licencia: este trabajo se comparte bajo la licencia de Atribución-NoComercial CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional de Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

KW - adaptation psychological

KW - colonic neoplasms

KW - colorectal neoplasms

KW - hereditary nonpolyposis

KW - religion and medicine

KW - spirituality

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105028502056

U2 - 10.14198/cuid.27566

DO - 10.14198/cuid.27566

M3 - Artículo en revista científica indexada

AN - SCOPUS:105028502056

SN - 1138-1728

SP - 23

EP - 38

JO - Cultura de los Cuidados

JF - Cultura de los Cuidados

IS - 72

ER -

Transcend from Cancer to Birth. Reframing Illness Through Spirituality

Abstract

Bibliographical note

UN SDGs

Keywords

Types Minciencias

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this