This text is about an event experienced by a caregiver as a patient in a southern Brazilian city. The time period comprehended by the narrative was December, 2009 to April, 2010. It aimed to show behaviors and attitudes of care or humanization by health professionals (caregivers) as well as by lay people. The literary narrative was used as a methodological strategy and resulting interpretative analysis evidenced attitudes and behaviors from the caregivers considered to be non-caring (lack of interest, indifference, and even rudeness) while interest, kindness, solidarity, and preoccupation was observed from the lay people's part, prompting the question, "Who does care, anyway?" This experience shows that, despite the implementation of humanization policies, health professionals do not succeed in expressing sensibility, limiting themselves to develop technical actions, in other words, giving priority to a curative focus in detriment of patient-centered care.
Humanization; Patient-centered care; Narrative; Nursing care