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The image of a sun-splashed beach, the sound of water cascading into a pool, the touch of warm wood paneling reminded Marla Zack of everything except cancer.
That was the point.
Inside the nearly completed $36 million Roy and Patricia Disney Family Cancer Center at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, everything - from the waterwall greeting patients when they enter the rotunda, to the painting and meditation garden - was designed to help ease the mind, heal the body and comfort the soul.
"It's wonderful. I like that it's so personal," said Zack, 45, a breast-cancer patient who toured the Burbank center on Wednesday.
Named for Roy and Patricia Disney, who donated $10 million to the project, the four-story building offers all-in-one outpatient services that focus on both Eastern and Western styles of medicine.
"Women who are treated for breast cancer, for example, may experience hot flashes," said Dr. Lisa Schwartz, director for the center's Integrated Medicine Program, which includes yoga, massage and nutritional counseling.
"Acupuncture is very effective in treating hot flashes, and we have that to offer too," Schwartz said.
The center officially opens on Feb. 8 and is billed as the most comprehensive of its kind in the San Fernando Valley.
Though he died in December of stomach cancer at age 79, much of Roy E. Disney's influence is infused in the new building, such as water and ocean imagery, a
The nephew of the legendary Walt Disney - who died of lung cancer - Roy E. Disney was a prominent executive in The Walt Disney Co.
His son, Roy P. Disney, toured the center Wednesday and said he was touched that so much thought went into every inch of the building.
"Having just experienced (cancer) in my family this building takes on a new meaning for me," he said. "Cancer is frightening. Disneyland is one of those places that gives more than it takes. This is that kind of building."
Local entertainment nstudios and the community all pitched in as well to help raise the money for the center, said Patricia Modrzejewski, president of the Providence Saint Joseph Foundation.
The goal behind the center was to cut the time patients spend traveling among facilities to receive a variety of treatments, said Dr. Raul Mena, medical director of cancer services at Providence Saint Joseph.
"It's an amazing experience just to walk through the doors of this building," Mena said.
Of the 1.6 million people nationwide who are expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year, the majority are expected to survive, Mena said.
"However, those (who survive) carry the scars of terror," he said. "This building is dedicated to making them whole again."
Also among the center's services:
A cancer program for patients ages 18 to 39, an group that is often overlooked during traditional treatments.
A radiology unit, created by Royal Philips Electronics, that includes an "ambient experience." Patients can control the lighting, sounds, music and video in their rooms.
The John C. & Lowry Hench Library, offer patients and family members a quiet place to research their illnesses and learn about clinical trials.
A personal appearance boutique that will help patients in need of wigs, prosthetics and special cosmetics to treat and manage side effects of cancer and treatments.
"So much thought and dedication has gone into every detail of the Roy and Patricia Disney Family Cancer Center to help patients triumph over cancer," Barry Wolfman, chief executive of Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, said in a statement.
"Thanks to the contributions of our donors - the Disney family in particular - and to the vision of our clinical team, we're proud to open our new cancer center to serve our community, close to home."
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