Renee Stubbins, Senior Oncology Dietitian at Houston Methodist, speaks about the impact the study has had on patients who have a different view during chemotherapy.
Anecdotally, what are you observing about the three matters treatment that’s nothing that’s looking at the outdoor garden and VR?
STUBBINS: The feedback so far has been really positive. Patients are really enjoying this study. I think a lot of them are surprised about how much they like the VR. A lot of them are really hesitant. They weren’t sure how they’re going to feel about it, but they’re enjoying it and they’re enjoying the interactions. The garden view room, it’s hard to put an objective statement on it. They just seemed more relaxed in the environment and not only the patients, but their family and caregivers that are coming with them. They seem just to enjoy the view and just gives them something to look at besides, a TV or an iPad or a mobile phone, gives them options. I think the natural light, the lighting in the room, it like reflects and almost gives like this blue and green hue off their skin. It’s a very awe-inspiring feeling. And when I’ve walked in there, the patients, a lot of times, they really haven’t been doing anything except just looking outside.
How valuable with something like that be where they’re not tempted really to pick up their cell phones?
STUBBINS: It might be very valuable. It’s another option. It’s a more innate option for us. It definitely does seem to have a calming effect, not just on the patients, but the caregivers too. In fact, a lot of patients that are not on the study just want to have that room just because they enjoy it. Patients that we’ve had coming here for years, who have seen nothing out there and remember just being nothing concrete. Now, there’s growing, luscious garden and with this beautiful art mural. They get really excited. And then it’s excited to see them excited about it because it makes us happy.
Walk us through the pressures from inception to creation right now and it’s not even completed. There’s many more steps to go through. You got a grant for it. Let’s start there.
STUBBINS: We did. We were funded by the Center for Health and Nature, and it started back in November 2018. Ashley and I have been really good friends. The seven years that I’ve worked here, I think she’s worked here for nine. And we’ve always joked that we have the signage for a rooftop garden, and we have the space for a rooftop garden. We figure 25 thousand was enough to put a garden out there and all would be well. We did not know what we started, but it grew very fast. And so that was November of twenty eighteen. We presented it at the symposium in 2019 in front of Laura Bush and a huge audience. The project was well received. In fact, the amount of volunteers we had after the symposium just people offering their help saying I’ve tried this, I’m here to help you, give me a call. Give me your number. So, I had a hard time getting to the bathroom because people kept stopping me. It was just very amazing feeling that so many people were willing to donate their time and their efforts and their specialties to help our project, no pun intended, grow. One of them was Hank Handcock, and I was so grateful I kept his card because he was our connection to Gonzo 247 who created our art mural. We found out we were funded in June of 2018, and after about four months of very tedious planning, we couldn’t talk to facilities, management and business development and best practices and a lot of other really important people and directors. We also had to get a project manager, Deborah Freeor, who was essential because she knew all of the logistics. This is how you get a P.O., and this is how you make sure this is done safely and this is how you get a contractor out there. Stuff that, as clinicians, we don’t always think about. We’re just thinking of the final line. We’re just thinking of getting our patients a better experience. Those were all very essential people. I think in August is when the mural got finished, and then on October 1st was when we put the garden. We installed the garden. We got here at 6:00 in the morning and our growers from Live Roof showed up at the dock, and we pulled the plants up here one by one and we laid them out in a grid that Peter designed. The Trevino Group helped us put it together because no one’s installed a garden like this, so no one knew how to do it. We had to ask people to teach us. And so we learned and figured it out along the way, and they did an amazing job and everything worked out.
As a dietician, hopefully in the future, you’re going to have fruits and vegetables that you can pick and herbs and things. What would you like to see happen?
STUBBINS: As dietitian, I do believe we have this innate connection to nature. Our food comes from nature. We are part of nature. I think it’s just natural. I would love to have edibles out there. We have plans to have edibles out there. I would love to send our patients home with our own fruits and vegetables that we’ve grown here. I’d love to get the patients involved, growing them and actually host classes and teach patients how they can garden safely, while on treatment. A lot of patients are hesitant, but it can be done safely. Actually, I can provide a little bit more details on that as a nurse, but it can be done. It’s just I think it’s our job to educate them on how to do that and show them that they can still have this quality of life and have this benefit of nature. Ideally, yes, we would love to have our own herbs and show patients how to use those herbs, how to cook with herbs and use less salt. There are so many options here and there’s so much room to grow.
How impactful is it that people eat the right things when they are sick with cancer?
STUBBINS: It’s very important. I could sit here and talk all day and go into all the details on why it’s important. But there’s so much evidence that shows when you have a well-balanced diet, it really makes a big difference when you’re going through treatment. You want what I call nutrition stability. You want to get enough protein and nutrition to help your body heal and recover. The chemo goes in there, gets rid of the bad cells. And I explain to the patients that you want to help your body regrow new healthy cells. So, you need to nourish your body to help that regrowth. Usually when I explain in those terminology, they’re OK, I get it, I need to be very proactive with my nutrition. A lot patients are surprised to know that it has that impact, but it does make a difference.
What is the difference? Because that’s a critical approach right there, that in creating new cells, you need healthy new cells, not more that are going to go defective on you because cancer is just a proliferation of cells that have gone bad. So how critical is that?
STUBBINS: I think it’s pretty critical. There’s a lot of evidence out there that a strong plant-based diet, not necessarily being vegetarian or vegan, but having more plants in your diet is really the way to go. I always tell patients you want to add color. You want to think of adding the colors of the rainbow. Did you have something red today? Something green? All those different colors represent different antioxidants. All those different antioxidants help our bodies in different ways. It’s the variety. It’s not one specific fruit or vegetable that’s the magic one. Trust me, if there was, we would be shouting it from the rooftops. But it’s the variety. It’s the variety of colors that really make the difference that gives your body that happy feeling.
END OF INTERVIEW
This information is intended for additional research purposes only. It is not to be used as a prescription or advice from Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. or any medical professional interviewed. Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. assumes no responsibility for the depth or accuracy of physician statements. Procedures or medicines apply to different people and medical factors; always consult your physician on medical matters.
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Ashley White
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