Offering an innovative combination of cancer treatments, Oasis of Hope is a leader in providing holistic and alternative methods of killing tumors, while minimizing toxic effects on healthy cells. As principal Dr. Francisco Contreras describes it, many patients come to Oasis of Hope for treatment from around the world with grade four cancers, which are “about as bad as you can get.”
Dr. Contreras’ first task is one of reorienting patients’ expectations in ways that accentuate the positive, while remaining realistic. As he describes it, allopathic physicians often sell patients on the idea that they can become 100 percent cancer free. This is usually unrealistic and sets up patients for disillusion. If any tumor remains following treatment, they are left with a sense that the protocol has failed.
A better approach involves preparing for the eventuality of living with cancer and still enjoying life, even several years after diagnosis. Dr. Contreras goes so far as to identify a positive, happy, outlook as a “cancer-fighting emotion.” He seeks to equip patients with multilevel care that spans the physical, emotional, and spiritual. With the latter, fostering a sense of “spiritual fortitude” is critical. When life is viewed in perspective as “just a little part of eternity,” the fear element diminishes and the patient can get on with the serious business of appreciating life as it is lived in the moment.
