Our Story
The Why
More people are living with cancer today than ever before. What was once thought of as the end of the journey has now become a chronic condition that millions of people are living with every day.
Traditionally, spending time in a treatment facility has been awful. The mood is somber and while unsaid verbally the message is clear - come in, get treated, good-bye. Treatment is the thing you do on the way to someplace else.
As a senior in high school, Dr. Raul Storey had his own personal experience with cancer when his father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. 23 years later his father is living with treatment. Recently, when Dr. Storey joined his father to run the Miami Marathon, he realized that cancer is often a chronic disease and that if given the chance patients can live life to the fullest. They just need to be inspired to find the joy, happiness, and hope to do so.
Inspired by Compassion. Powered by Experience.
With a life filled with the arts, Barbara Hoffman’s passion to help others through the arts was developed. Using art to comfort her father in his later years, from observing the tears flow down his face as he watched “Live at the Kennedy Center” on television to seeing his anger and angst as a patient during terminal illness change to a beautiful, peaceful patient as music was played in his intensive care hospital room. From these experiences, her passion evolved and began a focus for new programming opportunities with art and health care. As a guest of Dr. Storey, Barbara and her husband attended a cancer gala in 2017 where their conversation turned to the benefits of art in healing.
The results of that evening created a project between the Cultural Council and Florida Cancer Specialists, a pilot program for Arts in Medicine. By blending Dr. Storey’s expertise in oncology treatment and Barbara’s expertise in art together they have created Healing Arts. A treatment program, based on the arts-in-medicine framework developed at the University of Florida, that elevates the treatment experience of patients, caregivers, and staff.
It is their mission to transform the treatment experience by inspiring joy, happiness, and hope to patients, caregivers, and staff.
Hematology & Oncology
Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute.
Vero Beach/Sebastian, FL.
Dr. Raul E. Storey M.D.
Dr. Storey-Rojas has dedicated himself to continuously strive for excellence and offering his patients the most advanced and personalized care possible.
Upon initiating his career, he served as the Research Project Coordinator for an oncology group in Houston, TX. During his residency and fellowship, Dr. Storey-Rojas gained experience with the MD Anderson Cancer Center Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Department. He has published in many prestigious publications including the Journal of Oncology and Medical Oncology and has presented at conferences in the United States and internationally. Dr. Storey-Rojas is a sports enthusiast and enjoys running, paddlesurfing, and polo as well as traveling and playing guitar.
Barbara Hoffman
Barbara Hoffman has spent much of her life serving in the arts.
The last 10 years, she has served as the Executive Director of the Cultural Council, the designated arts agency for Indian River County, Florida, While in her teens, Inspired by her father, a concert violinist, she became a full time church organist and a concert pianist recognized by the State of Minnesota as an emerging “Young Artist”. Fascinated by the importance of art, she became involved in public television as Chairman of the Louisville KY public television station and for 12 years served on the national board of directors of PBS (Public Broadcasting System) and NAPTS (National Association of Public Television Stations). Her love of visual arts had always been important to her and more recently she took up oil painting.
With a life filled with the arts, her passion to help others through the arts was developed. Using art to comfort her father in his later years, from observing the tears flow down his face as he watched “Live at the Kennedy Center” on television to seeing his anger and angst as a patient during terminal illness change to a beautiful, peaceful patient as music was played in his intensive care hospital room. From these experiences, her passion evolved and began a focus for new programming opportunities with art and health care. As a guest of Dr. Storey, Barbara and her husband attended a cancer gala in 2017 where their conversation turned to the benefits of art in healing. The results of that evening created a project between the Cultural Council and Florida Cancer Specialists, a pilot program for Arts in Medicine.