Even though I feel that the infection was entirely the fault of the staff, Oasis of Hope told my Mom that there would be an additional charge of $3,000 to clear up the infection. Being that we asked for donations from our family and took out a loan for this, we only had enough money for the treatment that they told us she'd need. The total cost is $19,750.00 for 21 day stay, and an additional $3,000 for the homecare kit (Although they did give us a grant for a portion of the treatment, being that my Mom is only on Medicare). I'd have thought that this covered infection created by them. I'm pretty upset right now and unsure of what to do. My Mom is afraid and unsure about all that's going on around her. They wanted to treat her osteoporosis and arthritis while she was there, but that would not be included in the price.

I understand that they're doctors who are concerned with her total health, but we saved money ONLY for the treatment promised, and I begin to fear that her funds would be depleted to cover other problems, rather than being used for the treatment. They also charged her for any pain medication administered, due to pain that their medications caused. All of this is extra scary to me, because she's in another country and I'm unsure of our rights and I'm not there with her. I would have thought that, treating people in that facility would make the staff aware of pain, infection, side effects, etc and in turn, be part of the total cost. I was wrong. My Mom has had a negative side effect to the Laetril injection, each time it was given. She got severe chills, felt ill (sounded horrible - I called in the middle of a reaction) experienced some pain, and trembled until they gave her something for this.
1/15/03 -- (Kim, continued) On the 15th, I made several calls to Oasis of Hope, asking what was going on with the infection that my Mom had, what they were treating it with, how often they were flushing it and with what, what they were cleaning the area with and how often, why she was told she'd be charged $3,000 to treat the infection that I felt they'd created. I was very upset and talked to my Mom… we had decided that having her leave would be the best decision at this point. I wanted the infected port removed from her body. I talked to everyone there that would listen to me, and even left a message for Dr. Francisco Contreras (the owner) with his receptionist, to have him call me back.

That evening, while I was at home, I got a call from the hospital administrator saying that he was very sorry about my Mom's experience, that he would make certain that she was only treated for what she came for and the infection would be taken care of, and the port would be removed. He also said that Dr. Contreras and the head doctor would meet with my Mom and Aunt in the morning, and that he hoped she'd decide to stay for her treatment. I told him that I was grateful that he was helping her out now, and that it was still up to her. I didn't want her upset, frustrated and feeling ill during her stay there. He assured me that if she decided to stay, they would take good care of her. He said that Oasis of Hope does not ignore their patients, and that if one or any of the nurses were failing to do their job correctly, he would see to it that the situation was addressed.

Somehow I felt a lot better, and after hearing my Mom's calm voice, I realized that she also felt better. Today, (1/16/3), she had the meeting with Dr. Contreras and the head doctor of Oasis of Hope. She seemed to want to continue trying the treatment. I know that she believes in the Ozone (oxygen) treatment, the detoxifying treatments and diet, as well as the B17 treatment. I'll call her tonight and wait to see what she's feeling at this point. I don't feel that Oasis of Hope is a bad place, and I realize that human beings, who are capable of making mistakes, work there… but when it came to my Mom, I begin to think that I might have made the wrong decision in sending her there. I feel as though, what goes on from here on out will either make me believe that I made the right or wrong decision. There is no in between. Although I'm not afraid anymore, since they removed the port and started her on an antibiotic called Elequine (500mg once daily), I still need to hear from my Mom as often as possible. I have only to go on what she tells me, since I can't witness what's happening for myself.