I AM HealingStrong

88: Transforming Tragedy into a Cancer Healing Oasis for the Whole Family | Dave Vass

May 21, 2024 HealingStrong Episode 88
88: Transforming Tragedy into a Cancer Healing Oasis for the Whole Family | Dave Vass
I AM HealingStrong
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I AM HealingStrong
88: Transforming Tragedy into a Cancer Healing Oasis for the Whole Family | Dave Vass
May 21, 2024 Episode 88
HealingStrong

When Dave Vass's world was impacted by the cancer of those around him, it began a journey of deeper faith and passion towards helping others heal. As a tech entrepreneur transformed into a visionary for alternative health, Dave's journey is not just his own. His story, which involves personal loss and an evaluation on the medical system, left him wanting to help those who have felt the weight of a diagnosis and yearned for more than just conventional treatments. Our heartfelt conversation in this episode traverses these deeply personal waters, as we uncover the profound impact of cancer on personal perspectives and the immense need for proactive healing communities.

Imagine a place where the stillness of nature meets the cutting edge of cancer-fighting protocols—a sanctuary in the heart of British Columbia, born from loss, a leading from the Lord and a passion for genuine healing for others. Dave Vass guides us through the transformation of scenic woodlands into a tranquil retreat that offers peace and strength to those in the throes of battling cancer.

Each episode we aim to uplift and empower, and this conversation with Dave is a testament to that mission. Together, we shed light on the HealingStrong organization, a beacon for those navigating the overwhelming journey of health challenges. It stands as a reminder that amidst the trials, one is never truly alone—the warmth of community and shared experiences can be a vital lifeline. We wrap up with an invitation to join the collective journey towards wellness, whether through finding a local group, online resources, or simply by extending a hand to those in need. Tune in and we pray this episode serves as a reminder of the resilience and the power found within having a healing community.

Learn more about Dave's healing retreat:
The Healing Oasis

Schedule a Call with Dave to LEARN MORE:
Schedule a Call Here

Follow the Healing Oasis:
Facebook
Instagram

HealingStrong's mission is to educate, equip and empower our group leaders and group participants through their journey with cancer or other chronic illnesses, and know there is HOPE. We bring this hope through educational materials, webinars, guest speakers, conferences, community small group support and more.

Please consider supporting our mission by becoming a part of our Membership Program, as a monthly donor.

When you do, you will receive additional resources such as: webinars, access to ALL our past and most recent conference videos, downloadables and more, as a bonus.

To learn more, head to the HealingStrong Membership Program link below:

Membership Program

Show Notes Transcript Chapter Markers

When Dave Vass's world was impacted by the cancer of those around him, it began a journey of deeper faith and passion towards helping others heal. As a tech entrepreneur transformed into a visionary for alternative health, Dave's journey is not just his own. His story, which involves personal loss and an evaluation on the medical system, left him wanting to help those who have felt the weight of a diagnosis and yearned for more than just conventional treatments. Our heartfelt conversation in this episode traverses these deeply personal waters, as we uncover the profound impact of cancer on personal perspectives and the immense need for proactive healing communities.

Imagine a place where the stillness of nature meets the cutting edge of cancer-fighting protocols—a sanctuary in the heart of British Columbia, born from loss, a leading from the Lord and a passion for genuine healing for others. Dave Vass guides us through the transformation of scenic woodlands into a tranquil retreat that offers peace and strength to those in the throes of battling cancer.

Each episode we aim to uplift and empower, and this conversation with Dave is a testament to that mission. Together, we shed light on the HealingStrong organization, a beacon for those navigating the overwhelming journey of health challenges. It stands as a reminder that amidst the trials, one is never truly alone—the warmth of community and shared experiences can be a vital lifeline. We wrap up with an invitation to join the collective journey towards wellness, whether through finding a local group, online resources, or simply by extending a hand to those in need. Tune in and we pray this episode serves as a reminder of the resilience and the power found within having a healing community.

Learn more about Dave's healing retreat:
The Healing Oasis

Schedule a Call with Dave to LEARN MORE:
Schedule a Call Here

Follow the Healing Oasis:
Facebook
Instagram

HealingStrong's mission is to educate, equip and empower our group leaders and group participants through their journey with cancer or other chronic illnesses, and know there is HOPE. We bring this hope through educational materials, webinars, guest speakers, conferences, community small group support and more.

Please consider supporting our mission by becoming a part of our Membership Program, as a monthly donor.

When you do, you will receive additional resources such as: webinars, access to ALL our past and most recent conference videos, downloadables and more, as a bonus.

To learn more, head to the HealingStrong Membership Program link below:

Membership Program

Speaker 1:

From my perspective, it just made me wake up to okay, wait a second the medical system. There is massive corruption. There is massive, massive corruption. That doesn't mean there's not good people and that doesn't mean there isn't good being done in the medical system, that's not my point. But there is massive corruption and I'm not the kind of guy that wants to just vote in a politician to change things. I decided you know what, I'm going to do something about it myself and I'm an entrepreneur and I want to start something to help people with healing. So that's sort of how I am and I hope there's a lot of people that are listening, that they realize we need a lot more people, that they don't just wait to vote, they actually start doing something to make a difference, because our medical system has been hijacked and it's very corrupted and we need people with honest desires, with a pure motive, that are starting healing things.

Speaker 2:

You're listening to the I Am Healing Strong podcast, a part of the Healing Strong organization, the number one network of holistic cancer support groups in the world. Each week we bring you stories of hope, real stories that will encourage you as you navigate your way on your own journey to health. Now here's your host stage four cancer thriver, jim Mann.

Speaker 3:

Today I'm going to another country to talk to Way, way well, not around the world, actually just up north a little bit, a wee bit up in Canada with Dave Vass. How you doing, dave? I'm doing awesome. My favorite daughter-in-law is from Canada. I think Probably in your area, but I could be a Canadian.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it's hard to dislike Canadians. We're very polite, always saying sorry.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, you're almost like Australians, with just a different accent.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 3:

You're very familiar with Healing Strong. Yeah, I am. Is there a group in your area?

Speaker 1:

you know, you know what? Not that I know of right in my area. There's definitely groups in canada. Um, I've never been a part of them, uh, but I've. I've had people tell me that there's, there's groups healing strong groups in canada yeah, canada is such a small little place, you know oh, it's just small. Yeah, I mean, actually the amount of people in canada, um, you know, is very small compared to how big the country is, for sure, but, oh man, that sounds nice.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I live in a kind of a small town of Anderson, south Carolina, outside of a medium town of Greenville, south Carolina, and you would think you're driving in Manhattan or something. When you, when you go on our streets and like where are all these people coming from? Just every person have a car. No one rides with each other. It's just jam packed full of people. It's just, yeah, you're getting irritating to me. I'm moving to Canada.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, exactly. Well, there's lots of room.

Speaker 3:

Fantastic. Well, hey, tell me. You have a lot of people that you know and friends that have gotten diagnosis. Tell me about that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I personally haven't had to deal with cancer, which is very, very fortunate, and in my immediate family I haven't. But in high school my class was only 24 kids in the graduating class, so I had a very small high school, so we're very close to people from my high school class, my graduating class, have died of cancer. One in particular, uh, uh, was this girl. Her name's Karen Stetson, or she was married. Uh, she got married and and Mark was from my school as well, that's who she married Um, mark Stetson, uh, a friend of mine, and Karen obviously was in my class.

Speaker 1:

Um, Mark's mom died of cancer. And then Karen Stetson, who was my friend, who married Mark, she died of cancer. And then Mark, who again is like my age, so he's not not that old. He, he remarried and then he, his newborn baby, died of cancer. Um, so this guy has had his mom die of cancer, his wife died of cancer, got remarried and his, his first baby he's ever had, she died of cancer. So, just to give you, I can't even imagine the suffering that this guy has been through with regards to cancer.

Speaker 1:

And then just recently, just in my own backyard my kids go to this school and this my daughter's soccer coach, her, his wife is a teacher at the school, or was a teacher, she's like. Only she was only 30 years old. She just passed away of cancer just a few months ago cancer just a few months ago, not that long ago, and the school, you know, my kids watched her go through this journey and so, yeah, I mean I've been touched. I think everybody's been touched by cancer and I specifically have had a lot of people that I know in my life that have gone through cancer.

Speaker 1:

And if I can tell one more story, the school that I go to, my high school, was super small. My sister, chels, she's now a nurse, but in her class, julie, her name was Julie Taylor and she has three beautiful kids. She is a beautiful person and she just passed away of cancer just like not even a week ago, literally, I think it was a few days ago and, um, she's in her 30s and so, yeah, I, a lot of people that that are close to us have have had, uh, cancer and have passed away from it man, I've already lost count just listening to your story.

Speaker 3:

It's that's gonna be. How did that affect you?

Speaker 1:

Um, I mean, you know what it obviously it's hard to. It's hard for me to deal with stuff that I feel like it's so out of my control and I don't know what to do. And actually it always bothered me and I I honestly didn't know what to do when, when this stuff would happen. It just it just sort of bothered me. You know why. I mean, why are these people having to go through this? Why are they doing it? Why are they going through this at a such a young age?

Speaker 1:

I mean it, and I've always been into health and nutrition. So I was very fascinated and my wife we both went to kinesiology and university, both been very much in nutrition. So obviously I did a lot of research and actually, believe it or not, in 2000 I think it was 2015 I watched the whole series on the truth about cancer by um Ty Bollinger Ty, I was gonna say trey, but it's ty, yeah, ty, yeah. So I watched that whole documentary in 2015 and and so you know I I really wanted to make sure that you know I was doing whatever I could in my life and my family where we hopefully didn't have to go through something like that.

Speaker 3:

So yeah, now, all these people. Were they all in the same area?

Speaker 1:

yeah. So this is what's really weird. There's this place I grew up in and it's didsbury, it's a farming community, and all these people you have no, I I don't know how they haven't done a study on this, but everybody is dying of cancer, not everybody, that's an exaggeration, but I mean the point is there is more. All these people I just mentioned almost all of them, except for the teacher that I just talked about, but all of them are from this certain community and I always wonder like, is it the water? Like, are there chemicals seeping into the water? I mean, what is the reason for it?

Speaker 3:

I don't know, but yeah, it seems very suspect, Like something. Something is happening obviously. Now what kind of did they all just do the conventional treatment of chemo and radiation, not familiar with that world at all.

Speaker 1:

So all the people that are from you know my community, most of them at least as far as I know you know they all just did conventional treatments.

Speaker 3:

Now, at that time you said you didn't know about alternative. But what made you look into that or become more aware of that?

Speaker 1:

Well, like I said, the first part of my journey was watching that cancer documentary back a ways ago, but then I really didn't go back to that again. I've been busy building companies and so I watched that. And then when my dad passed away during COVID, he was one of my best Well, he was other than my wife, he was one of my best friends. I talked to him every day and he was 69 years old. His name's his name was Mark, Obviously I just called him dad, but but yeah, so he we talked to each other almost every day and he got intubated during COVID and the intubation really obliterated his lungs. So I watched him go through the hospital system that was supposed to help him and I watched as he passed away. And he should never have passed away.

Speaker 1:

Obviously, God has a plan, and I don't discount that. God's timing is God's timing. But that doesn't negate that I watched something that I was very upset with how he was treated and that changed my. When I say it changed my life, I mean it drastically changed my life and that got me where I'm at right now with what I'm doing. But it was like 180 degree change in my life when that event happened.

Speaker 3:

I've lost a few people during that time that shouldn't have. That's understandable, that's for sure. And you know, some of it is just hindsight. I will give them that. You know I'm not accusing any doctors. Some of them didn't know what to do, but now they do and it should not repeat itself. Yeah, hopefully.

Speaker 1:

I mean, from my perspective, it just made me wake up to okay, wait a second the medical system. There is massive corruption. There is massive, massive corruption. That doesn't mean there's not good people and that doesn't mean there isn't good being done in the medical system, that's not my point. But there is massive corruption and I'm not the kind of guy that wants to just vote in a politician to change things. I decided you know what, I'm going to do something about it myself and I'm an entrepreneur and I want to start something to help people with healing. So that's sort of how I am and I hope there's a lot of people that are listening, that they realize we need a lot more people, that they don't just wait to vote, they actually start doing something to make a difference, because our medical system has been hijacked and it's very corrupted and we need people with honest desires, with a pure motive, that are starting healing things.

Speaker 3:

I believe yeah, wherever there's a lot of money involved, there's going to be corruption.

Speaker 1:

Everywhere I'm from business. So people that say, oh come on, that's conspiracy, I'm like are you want to know who they truly are? How about you introduce a million dollars and and see what those or just any kind of amount of money, and you start to find out who people are really quickly?

Speaker 3:

Yes, if you want to test me with that. Uh, you know we can do that as you know, I turn out.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, you know it's. It's an interesting thing, though, because really truly good people money. What I say to people is money amplifies who people already are. They can't hide it. Money just amplifies it. So if you're a truly good person, you actually end up just blessing and giving and doing wonderful things. But if you're not and you've been pretending money, money really reveals who you are.

Speaker 1:

So I mean, I know you probably have talked about this in your the, your viewers know this, but I have to remind people, because there's lots of people that watch that, that come to the healing oasis and they've never really learned about natural. But I do have to remind people that the pharmaceutical industry is one of the most lucrative industries in the entire world and their entire business is sick people. So if you're having a shareholder meeting and you're in a boardroom, people think, oh, they're really trying to help, and I said, well, hold on, because the entire purpose of a for-profit company is to make profit. So their purpose here is is you know they? They of course they're going to come out with drugs that could be good, um, but the point is is that they don't want to their. Their purpose is not to get rid of sick people. Their purpose is to make more money and more profit. So I just want to remind people that that's just how a for-profit company works and that's what shareholders want.

Speaker 3:

Right Now, you mentioned your background, being in business. What did you do?

Speaker 1:

I was in the tech industry so most recent, when my dad passed away, I was at the pinnacle of my career. I had a startup, a tech company, where we got venture capital from Silicon Valley, which very few companies ever achieve. We were accepted into Y Combinator which is harder to get into that than Harvard Law and so we it was. I was, I was flying pretty high with my startup and it was right, when we had raised our money from venture capital, that my dad passed away and God had a different plan for my life and I ended up exiting and leaving and starting what I'm doing now, which is the Healing Oasis.

Speaker 3:

So yes, let's talk about that a little bit Now. You were born and raised in Canada, right?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, born and raised in Alberta. I was born and raised on a ranch and basically rode horses. It's a fun little fact. I pretty much rode a horse every day of my life till I was about 14 years old.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, sounds terrible. I rode a skateboard that was homemade because they didn't really have skateboards back then, but yeah, it's not as cool as a horse.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 3:

Oh well, I'm not whining, I'm just trying to relate to you and it's not working.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, no, I'm not whining, I'm just trying to relate to you and it's not working. Yeah, no, I mean, and it's funny because I ended up in tech and here I was a guy that grew up on a ranch riding horses pretty much most of my life, but anyway, it's weird how you end up doing something so different than when you grew up.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, and so how long have you been at the center, the healing center that you're at now?

Speaker 1:

So, just basically, when my dad passed away, I exited out of the company that I was in and there was many miracles that happened, but God put on my heart to buy a place with. I had this vision in my head of cabins with water. It was hard to describe, but that's the vision I had. And there's this place that has only sold twice in 50 years. It's 40 acres, it has seven cabins with a private lake. Never knew it existed and I went. It happened to be for sale, which, like I said, it's only sold twice in 50 years. Because it never sells and because the people that usually own it don't want to sell it.

Speaker 1:

And this place is magical. I met the owners and said I would like to buy it and a bunch of miracles had to happen for that to happen. And it did. God opened the door, so we ended up buying this little family resort. It was run as a family resort. It was not a healing place, but God was leading me to do something with healing. That's why I bought it. And it's yeah, it's just seven cabins around a private lake in British Columbia, 40 minutes from Vernon, and it is one of the most beautiful places you've ever seen. Um, people can see pictures online, but it is it. It it's screaming healing. It's like God designed this place from the beginning of eternity for this moment in time to help heal people.

Speaker 3:

Wow, so people come there and play cornhole. Is that what you do? What is cornhole. What is that is cornhole? What is that? Oh, that's not a can, that's not a canadian thing, huh no, I don't think I've ever.

Speaker 1:

I've heard of horseshoe. I've heard of about cornhole, what's that?

Speaker 3:

it's kind of like horseshoes, only you're throwing these bean bags into this hole.

Speaker 1:

Oh, I know that, I just didn't know the name of that. Okay, yes, I know that. Yeah, I think we call that in canada bean bag toss or something. I don't know that's. Yeah, I think we call that in Canada beanbag toss or something.

Speaker 3:

Oh, that's weird.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 3:

Just because you're tossing a beanbag? Yeah, maybe.

Speaker 1:

We're not very inventive with our names.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I don't know what cornhole means, but I don't know how I got that name either. But I'm sure somebody does and they're going to be emailing me. But yeah, so what all do you do there then?

Speaker 1:

be emailing me, yeah, but yeah, so what all do you do there? Then? We've been running it as a family resort since the time we bought, well, for a couple years just to get our feet wet. Like we had to know, like how do, how do you run a place like this? I mean, it's pretty, seven cabins. Then these cabins aren't just like cabins, they have kitchens, bathroom, bedroom, I mean they're fully equipped uh, cabins. It's 40 acres. So we had to sort of figure out how to run it.

Speaker 1:

And then this first season we're opening the Healing Oasis, which is a place to help people heal from cancer. And again, I don't know why that was put on my heart, but about eight months ago I felt like I was being led to, you know, start this Healing Oasis and to help people with cancer heal. And so we've been very busy for the last eight months putting it together. There's not very many places like this in the world where people can come heal right in nature and receive their protocols that are set up from a doctor prescribing the IVs, the hyperthermia, a private chef, a super amazing chef that's cooking cancer-fighting meals every day, juicing. So I know there's places people can go in Mexico and Europe but, to be right, immersed in nature while you're doing. All of this is a very unique concept. So the Healing Oasis has sort of embodied the holistic approach to healing all of it together in one spot.

Speaker 3:

Now do people can they come there who are already on a protocol and just kind of continue with it there, or do they come there and get set up on a protocol, or how's that work?

Speaker 1:

Believe it or not, it's been amazing, jim.

Speaker 1:

Um, I didn't know how this would go and you know, I thought that the most people that were going to come here were people that were already super into alternative and I and I think God's using this place as a bridge it is amazing.

Speaker 1:

The majority of people that are coming are people that have never looked at alternative, or at least very little, and I don't know how they're so excited about coming here. But something is appealing to a lot of people that are finding the healing oasis, that are very much doing conventional treatments but their mind and their heart has been opened up to consider the healing oasis, that are very much doing conventional treatments but their mind and their heart has been opened up to consider the healing oasis. So the guests that come here, they do an intake call with Dr Caesar, our doctor, that he's a naturopathic doctor that's helped treat over 10,000 people with cancer, every kind of cancer imaginable, and so he sets up the protocol specific to the person that's coming here. Now, if somebody is already on a protocol, they would just talk with Dr Caesar and say I'm already doing this, what do you think of that? And then they would just discuss sort of how the protocol would work when they're here at the Healing Oasis.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, that makes sense, and so it's up and running. Now you said for how many months.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, we just opened. Actually, Our first cohort is coming this Sunday, which is pretty exciting, and I tell people it's amazing what's happened. Two and a half weeks ago we didn't have a single booking confirmed and two and a half weeks later God opened up the floodgate and we are fully booked. Our first cohort we're almost fully booked. Our second cohort we're almost fully booked. Our second cohort we're already getting booked for our third. So I do about four to five calls a day where people are interested in staying here that have cancer and we, you know, they go through the process of their intake call with Dr Caesar and so, yeah, it's been incredible what's going on.

Speaker 3:

That sounds exciting. Now do people stay at different lengths of time based on where they're at or Most?

Speaker 1:

actually? That's a great question. And it the cohort is usually three weeks, that people can stay longer, but it's a minimum of three weeks, right? Um, and so it's a minimum of three weeks, and most cohorts are together, which is nice. They sort of form a community because they're all arriving on the same day, they're eating their meals from the private chef in a place that they all sort of eat at the same table, eat at the same table, and a thing that's very unique about what we're doing that's different than a lot of places is the cabin is big enough for them to have loved ones stay with them, whether it's a spouse, whether it's their kids or grandkids, and we don't charge extra for loved ones, friends or family to come stay with them in the cabin. They don't get. They don't get to eat from the private chef. Only the healing guests that are there get to eat from the private chef and do the treatments, but they can stay with, uh, the healing guests for no extra cost as well.

Speaker 3:

Oh, you have a McDonald's on there for the other people.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, well, there's a, there's a kitchen and they can. There's a town nearby and they can get groceries and cook their own food the healing guests that's here. They have to sign a contract that they're only eating the food that we provide from the, from the private chef.

Speaker 3:

So yeah, now I you know I had stage four melanoma, uh, you know, and they gave me just a couple of months to live, but that was uh going on seven years ago now.

Speaker 1:

So, so I'm cancer free?

Speaker 3:

Does that mean I can't come?

Speaker 1:

No, no, okay, that's a good question. People ask that and actually our focus is on healing from cancer, but we don't say at what part in your journey. That I mean, if it's seven years and you want to come, and you want to because you're let's face it, once you have cancer, you're healing from cancer. I think, even if you're cancer free, you're still healing for the rest of your life. I mean, I think your journey that you're on right.

Speaker 3:

Yes, so I can be there Thursday.

Speaker 1:

Awesome, yeah, well, well, you know what. We'll have to try to figure that out. Maybe you can come. We're full, but maybe you can come speak and share your story with people.

Speaker 3:

Perfect, perfect, you had me at private chef.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, and he's. He is amazing, he's actually. I, um, I can't we don't have time to get into that story of how I found him, but he was one of my most favorite chefs. Out of any restaurant that he had his own restaurant and out of any restaurant that I had eaten in the Okanagan, he was one of my, my most favorite chefs.

Speaker 3:

So that's incredible. Now, where do you, where do you see this going like in the next five, 10 years? Or you want to expand, or you want to keep it like it is now and just develop you know what for sure I would like to add more cabins.

Speaker 1:

We have seven cabins, so, and they're spread out quite nice, we cabins. We have seven cabins so, um, and they're spread out quite nice. We have 40 acres, so we have room to build more cabins. Um, you know what, one day maybe there'll be the right investor that wants to come along and um, and say, hey, let's start. You know, we didn't know how busy we're going to.

Speaker 1:

I actually, I gotta be honest, I was saying to God, like okay, I don't know what's going to happen. I financed the whole thing, I'm risking all this and I'm and I'm like, okay, am I even going to get a cancer guests? Like, what is going to happen? I actually thought that if I had two, two cancer guests a month for the summer cause we're only open May to October and I thought that if that was good, I thought, okay, if I can get through the first season and it, and even if I had two cancer guests a month from May to October, I'm like I can just get through the first season and then I can try to figure out the next season.

Speaker 1:

Um, but it turns out it looks like we're going to be totally packed the first season. I never, ever, ever dreamt that that would be possible, um that we would be packed for the first season. So where I would like this to go is we maybe build a couple more cabins? I mean, right now the maximum we can have is seven healing guests at any given time. So if we can add a couple more cabins, we can maybe have a few more people.

Speaker 3:

Is the winter just too much snow, too cold?

Speaker 1:

Yeah it's like five feet of snow. But if we build the, I already have a plan that the new cabins we build would maybe be a lot more winter friendly, and so there's a possibility we could stay open year round if we do this right. This first season was just sort of like, okay, what's going to happen? And now I get through this first season and we can see where can we take this. You know we won't be open this winter coming up, but who knows, maybe, uh, maybe the next winter there'll be a change and we can stay open.

Speaker 3:

So you think that, uh, all these people you've lost in your life through cancer, it's just kind of built up over time and then when you lost your father, you think that's pretty much God was just preparing you to go in this direction. Then all of a sudden, boom, it kind of happened. Is that what's happening here?

Speaker 1:

There's no doubt about it that I was born and God made me for this time, that everything I've been through my I always said to God when I was building companies I did quite well I'm not saying I'm some kind of like, but I was pretty successful starting companies and I always said to God like I, you know, I want to do something more meaningful. And I used to just trust them and live by faith and say, okay, I mean, I'm building these companies, I love it, they're good, but I want to build your kingdom. I want to. Yeah, all of this happened for this time and I don't think honestly, jim, if I hadn't start other companies.

Speaker 1:

To start this healing oasis is was so hard, it's one of the hardest things I've ever done and my business background has allowed me to sort of do it and I think that God prepared me for this time and I think that my dad passing away was the trigger that God had for me to say, okay, I got a different plan for your life. This is sort of what you're going to do. And I'm so excited because, out of all the companies I've ever built, this is the most meaningful. And this is the one I'm most excited about is the Healing Oasis.

Speaker 3:

And you're still pretty young. Yeah, are you in your 30s?

Speaker 1:

You know what this is all the stress from all the businesses I've built, I'm actually 42. Actually, you know how when you hit your 40s, you start losing track. So I hope, is all the stress from all the businesses I've built I'm I'm actually 42. Um, actually, you know how when you hit your forties, you start losing track. So I hope I'm 42. I think I'm 42. Um, but you know, uh, uh, I used to hear that when I was younger, people like you don't know your age. Like, come on, you must be. And now I realize, oh my goodness, I'm getting old because I forget my age, but I'm pretty sure I'm 42.

Speaker 3:

Just to let you know in my mind, I'm 40 and I can't believe I'm even that old. And then I realized wait a minute.

Speaker 1:

I'm well into my sixties. What's wrong with me?

Speaker 3:

My brain's stuck at 40 and I'll go into a coffee shop all the time and think, yeah, all these young college kids. And then I realized, oh my gosh, I'm probably old enough to be their grandfather. Yeah, it just really irritates me. But yeah, by 42, that's still extremely young. So that you know that's, you get a lot of time to see what God's going to do in your life. And it sets a good feeling when you feel the purpose, like I.

Speaker 3:

I was in radio for 30 years and those last 14 years I was on the morning show just saying dumb stuff. I thought, because that's the way I'm wired, I just, you know, like knee-jerk reactions, I just say dumb things and people think it's funny, right, and I thought, man, it's so easy to do what God wired me to do. I thought this isn't hard, this can't be work. But then I realized, hey, I'm actually being who God made me to be and it just was very fulfilling, you know, because people responded to it and they would repeat back something I said like months ago that meant something to them. Like I don't even remember saying that, but it's incredible.

Speaker 1:

Well, it's funny, you say you can be who you're meant to be. Because I do love building a business, like, obviously I've been an entrepreneur for 20 years. I've pretty much never even had a job before. I've always started my own companies. So God's like, ok, you love doing that, dave, and then I really, above anything, I want to build God's kingdom, I want to help.

Speaker 1:

And what did Jesus do when he came? I always say to people, okay, even if people don't believe in God. I said, here's the thing God comes to earth. What do you think he's going to do? He's going to, he's going to buy force, set up his kingdom and he's going to rule. You know, rule humanity with power. Because that's all the movies, movies.

Speaker 1:

When you, if you're the king of kings, this is how you do it. You come down and you're no, the king of kings, the one who created all things. This is why you can't make this up. Of course, the gospel's true, because what human being could imagine this? Because if you watch all the movies, all the movies show that if you, if you have power, if you're, if you're a king, this is what you do. You don't love, you go and you make sure you exert your power upon people. But no, this is what the living God, the God that has created all things.

Speaker 1:

What does he do? He comes down and all he does is heal. He just heals people. He heals the sick, he heals the blind, he heals the leper, he heals. That's all he does, is heal. In fact, the religious people are the ones that hate him, the ones you know, the ones that supposedly should know God. They're the ones that actually are really upset with him, and all he does is heal. So God's heart is with people that want to heal. I mean, that is what God wants to do, and he doesn't just want to heal physically, he wants to heal people spiritually, he wants to heal them emotionally. That is his heart, that is his passion, and he's given me that same passion, and I'm very excited that I can use my business skills Plus, I can be a part of what I think is super fulfilling, which is helping to heal people at the same time.

Speaker 3:

Wow, so you're one of them, christians.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, I definitely have a very strong. I don't just say I'm a Christian, I live by faith, I live by God, just believing God for everything. Um, you know, I believe him for my, my family, I believe him for my kids, I believe him for this healing oasis. I just walk by faith and see what he's going to do and he's never disappointed me.

Speaker 3:

So yeah, excellent, how many kids you have Three teenagers, 19, 17 and 14. Wow.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and they're perfect, right, yeah, they're, they're, they're amazing. They're definitely not perfect because they have my genes, but if they just had my, my, their mother's genes, then they could be pretty close to perfect. But they got, they got me.

Speaker 3:

So well, it gives you someone to raise, so that's good.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 3:

Well, Dave, it's been a pleasure getting to know you and find out what you're doing. It's good to know that it's so fresh and new and it's fulfilling for you. How can people get a hold of you? Just go to the website.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I mean the Healing Oasis. People are amazed I have this button that says schedule a call and then they're. People are amazed that I show up and they're like you don't you know, don't you have enough on your plate? I'm like, nope, that's the way I like building a business and I I love dealing with the people that are interested. I've never, ever, been any different. So, um, yeah, people can go to the healing oasis, they can subscribe to to the newsletter, they can book a call, schedule a call and it'll be me that shows up to that call.

Speaker 3:

So, wow, and it's notcom cause it's in Canada isca.

Speaker 1:

That's actually a very good point. So a couple of things. It's the so T H E, the healing oasisca, because we are Canadian and people in the States don't even know that that's our extension for Canada. Whereascom is, you know whatcom is universal, but it's actually more. The United States started, but it's universal, butca is Canada.

Speaker 3:

So yeah, not California, but Canada.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and you can still access it from anywhere. We do have people coming from the States. Uh, actually, which has been exciting, actually from the cohort believe it or not from this cohort that's coming May 5th to the 25th. Half of them are from the United States, so that's pretty cool.

Speaker 3:

Wow yeah, it's too hot down here right now. That's why.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, exactly yeah here right now.

Speaker 3:

That's why, yeah, exactly, yeah. Well, thank you so much.

Speaker 1:

Dave for sharing time with us and being the actual person who came on. No worries, yeah, I wouldn't have sent my clone. I mean, I'm the original, you know. So, yeah, no problem.

Speaker 3:

All right, we'll have to check in with you next year to see how it's exploded.

Speaker 1:

Awesome, Sounds good Jim.

Speaker 2:

You've been listening to the I Am Healing Strong podcast. A part of the Healing Strong organization. We hope you found encouragement in this episode, as well as the confidence to take control of your healing journey, knowing that God will guide you on this path. Healing Strong is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to connect, support and educate individuals facing cancer and other diseases through strategies that help to rebuild the body, renew the soul and refresh the spirit.

Speaker 2:

It costs nothing to be a part of a local or online group. You can do that by going to our website at healingstrongorg and finding a group near you or an online group, or start your own, your choice. While you're there, take a look around at all the free resources. Though the resources and groups are free, we encourage you to join our membership program at $25 or $75 a month. This helps us to be able to reach more people with hope and encouragement, and that also comes with some extra perks as well. So check it out. If you enjoyed this podcast, please give us a five-star rating, leave an encouraging comment and help us spread the word. We'll see you next week with another story on the I Am Healing Strong podcast.

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