CITY OF HOPE ORANGE County President Annette Walker, a devout Catholic and one of Southern California’s most respected healthcare leaders, always has placed spirituality at the center of her life. So, when it came to designing City of Hope Orange County’s new cancer hospital in Irvine, set to open in December next to the existing City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center, Walker made sure that spiritual care would be a priority for patients and the oncology specialists who treat them.
The Wetterau Family Spiritual Care Center is believed to be the first of its kind for a hospital.
With the touch of a screen, cancer patients, their families and members of their care team can immerse themselves in the sights and sounds of the world’s five largest faith traditions — Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism — thanks to technology created by a former Disney Imagineer.
Shorelines and a forest are the other two options for the 15-minute sessions of solace that were designed to reflect the spiritual diversity of Orange County.
“You can imagine if you use Disney, it was going to be cool,” said Walker, a parishioner of San Francisco Solano Catholic Church in Rancho Santa Margarita. “But it wasn’t about being cool. It was about being sacred.”
Unlike traditional ecumenical hospital chapels that simply display artifacts of many faiths, the City of Hope sanctuary lets patients personalize their experience.
“We think it might set a new standard,” Walker said. “We are not just physical beings. The hospital system addresses this, but sometimes it forgets about our mind and out spirit, and how important those are in our healing.”
BLESSING CEREMONY
The spiritual care center is named in honor of the Wetterau family. Mark Wetterau, a prominent philanthropist and business leader who served as the chair and chief executive officer of Irvine-based Golden State Foods from 1998 to 2023, was the first donor to City of Hope Orange County’s strategic fund.
Wetterau died on May 8, 2023. He was 65.
FIVE FAITH LEADERS REPRESENTING FIVE RELIGIONS JOINED CITY OF HOPE ORANGE COUNTY PRESIDENT ANNETTE WALKER ON WEDNESDAY, AUG. 20, FOR AN INTERFAITH BLESSING OF THE WETTERAU FAMILY SPIRITUAL CARE CENTER. PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY OF HOPE ORANGE COUNTY
Other donors include the Hamoui Foundation and Jacqueline DuPont Carlson and Marc Carlson.
Orange County religious leaders attended a blessing ceremony for the Wetterau Family Spiritual Care Center, along with the Pacific Chorale, on Aug. 20.
Also on hand was Fr. Reynold Furrell, who became close to Walker and her family during their time in the diocese.
“The new spiritual center is impressive,” said Fr. Reynold, pastor at Sts. Simon & Jude Catholic Church in Huntington Beach since 2020. “The challenge with technology always is, how do you make it so the technology isn’t overwhelming?” he added. “This space remains true to the idea that people need a quiet space where they can come and just find some solace in the middle of all the trials and tribulations they’re going through.
“Especially with cancer patients, you’re treating the whole person – body, mind and spirit. And when you’re going through treatments that are difficult, you need to have a reason to live, a will to live and that’s something that spirituality brings.”
Fr. Reynold, who was raised a Baptist, came up with the idea of incorporating stained glass in the new space.
“The idea of stained glass runs through both Protestant and Catholic churches and is ideal in space that is designed to bring some color and hope,” he said.
‘SOMETHING SPECIAL’
The spiritual center’s immersive experience was created by Roger Holzberg, a former Disney Imagineer, the first consulting creative director for the National Cancer Institute, and co-founder of Reimagine Well, whose mission is to ease the patient journey from diagnosis to well-being using imagination, technology and education. As a cancer survivor and caregiver, Holzberg brought deep personal insight into the design of the space — blending creativity, compassion and a profound understanding of what patients and families truly need.
Walker has won numerous honors over the years for her support of the Catholic Church in Orange County. For example, she was honored with the Orange Catholic Foundation’s Bishop’s Award for Exemplary Business Integrity.
“Of all the leaders in healthcare I know, Annette is the most faith driven,” Fr. Reynold said.
Walker noted that according to studies, 70 percent of cancer patients view spiritual care as part of their healing journey.
“City of Hope is not religiously based, so we also try to address the whole community,” she said. “The dilemma about this new space was, how do we create a spiritual care center that feels appealing to a broad audience like Orange County, where there’s a very diverse population with various faith traditions?
“We didn’t want to make the space so neutral that it would look like a conference room. That would feel generic, not sacred. We did some research and asked patients what they’d like to see, and we had lots of meetings with religious leaders, and we believe we’ve come up with something very special.”