A Psycho-Oncologist on Cancer, Empowerment and Dignity
Yvonne Álvarez Colchado from Peru is a psychologist and psychotherapist with more than 20 years experience. She specializes in psycho-oncology, palliative care and grief support. For the past six years, through a psycho-oncological support program she founded, Yvonne has promoted health care aimed at improving the quality of life and working for the well-being of people facing a cancer diagnosis. In this interview, she shares how her own experience with illness transformed the way she lives—deepening her appreciation for each moment of life and strengthening her commitment to supporting others.
Learning from Illness
Please tell us about your personal journey with illness?
I believe it began the very moment I came into this world. I was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around my neck and nearly suffocated. And then, when I was four, while riding on the back of a bicycle, I injured my ankle when my foot got caught in the spokes of the wheel. The injury almost reached the bone, and healing involved tissue and skin regrowth.
Years later, I suddenly fainted, losing consciousness for about 20 minutes. I was taken to the emergency room and was having seizures. A CT scan revealed a lesion in my brain. They initially suspected brain cancer, but after rigorous testing during my month-long hospitalization, I was diagnosed with cerebral tuberculosis. I underwent arduous treatment for thirteen months.
It was then that, for the first time, I asked myself what I wanted to use my life for; to what purpose would I devote my life.
It was then that, for the first time, I asked myself what I wanted to use my life for; to what purpose would I devote my life. Being in this position allowed me to understand how vulnerable one becomes in the face of the unknown and the importance of asking for help.
In 2012, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Whether treatment would require a total mastectomy or only the removal of the tumor would not be determined until I was in the operating room. Before undergoing surgery, I consulted different specialists, listening to their various opinions one by one—some more discouraging than others. I could only think that once again I was fighting to prolong my life.
Transforming Suffering into Purpose
How did your Buddhist practice help you cope with your breast cancer diagnosis?
To understand what was happening to me, I remember turning to the writings of Nichiren and finding encouragement in the words of President Daisaku Ikeda. This helped me to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the determination to face what I was going through.
From the moment I was diagnosed, I never thought about the cancer with resentment or pain. On the contrary, I always felt immense gratitude. The cancer was serving a purpose in my life—it was a means for my growth.
When one receives this type of diagnosis, one hears countless opinions, despite this, I was the one who decided how I wanted my life to be from that point onward, starting with how my surgery would unfold step by step and even seeing my doctor as an “artist.” I told my mother, who is also a Soka Gakkai member, about this approach, and, with a shared sense of resolve, we decided we would chant and face the cancer together.
Her courage and steadfastness encouraged me not to give up, to believe in my potential and to continue moving forward. Ultimately, the surgery was successful and a 5-centimeter tumor was removed. Thirty days after surgery, I began preventive treatment consisting of 16 chemotherapy sessions and 33 radiotherapy sessions over approximately 1 year.
When my hair fell out, I did not recognize myself and cried a lot. There were moments when I even felt I could not go on. Despite all the pain, I never stopped chanting, and that was what enabled me to stand back up and decide that my life had to reflect hope.
During that time, I came to understand a passage from one of Nichiren’s writings that states: “Illness gives rise to the resolve to attain the way” (WND 1, p.937).1 In other words, this experience allowed me to open my heart, deepen my understanding of the suffering of others and to comprehend the true meaning of illness in my life.
How did the idea of creating a psycho-oncological support program come about?
It was right before I entered the operating room that I promised myself that I would create a psycho-oncological support program. Little by little, it has grown into what it is today. At the beginning, I didn’t know where to start and felt intimidated by the fact that I did not yet have the necessary skills to take on such a project. Nevertheless, thanks to the strength I gained from chanting, I did not allow myself to become discouraged, and I was able to overcome my limitations.
As a psychologist, I wanted to contribute to society and felt a strong desire to continue my academic training. So, I trained as a humanistic psychotherapist, then in psycho-oncology and palliative care and later in thanatology as a grief-support facilitator. For several years now, I have also been an active and full member of the National Association of Psycho-Oncology of Peru (ANPPe).
Through the support program, I also launched an oncology-focused podcast. On the podcast, I engage in weekly dialogues with professionals from different fields to raise awareness of responsible health care. These are shared on social media. The podcast serves as a window into issues related to health, the prevention of illness, and a better quality of life.
Today, I also run mutual oncology support groups: one for patients, one for caregivers (family members) and one for people who have lost a loved one to cancer.
Helping Others Find Hope
How does the support program help people with cancer face their illness?
The essence of this program lies in cultivating in the life of each patient and their families a new approach to health and a renewed appreciation of life—both personally and in relation to their environment—so that they become capable of transforming the circumstances that afflict them through their experience. That is why, after validating their pain and recognizing their vulnerability in the face of difficult circumstances, I always ask my patients: What has this cancer taught you? Are you happy with what you have? How do you want to live from this experience onward? What have you learned from your family? And in response to this last question, many of them answer in a single word—gratitude.
Additionally, every week during the live podcast patients, families and the broader audience engage in discussions about cancer, ask questions and learn together. I believe that one of the first steps to overcoming the fear of cancer is to understand the function of illness and death in human life. This, in turn, strengthens education around health care and dismantles myths that only generate confusion and unfounded fear.
The initial support program grew into broader efforts to support and motivate patients, please tell us about that?
Interestingly, my small project began to grow. Seeing how much interest the podcast of a member of the ANPPe garnered on social media, I was asked, together with other psycho-oncologist colleagues, to lead a project in which a well-known private company provided psychological support to people going through breast cancer.
Through this, I connected with the Peruvian Cancer Foundation, and my support program formed an alliance to provide psycho-oncological support to low-income patients and their families nationwide. We accompany them throughout their journeys, often online or by telephone due to lack of internet access. Through this I developed a deeper and more compassionate understanding of public health realities.
The Dignity of Each and Every Life
How do you support the families of oncology patients and those in the final stages of life?
In my private practice and in my work with patients of the Peruvian Cancer Foundation, I care for people at different stages of the process. This includes end-of-life care, where I first accompany patients in accepting death—not out of resignation, but out of gratitude for what has been lived and shared.
Thanatology, like Buddhism, upholds the utmost respect for life and the eternity of existence. It is therefore important to teach what it means to “die well” even if this concept is not familiar within society. The first step is to accept the intrinsic value of life itself, which inherently includes what Buddhism calls the “four sufferings:” birth, aging, sickness and death. In this process, the way I accompany families is by helping them say goodbye from a place of intention and will, while maintaining respect for life itself.
Understanding this is a process, because society is not accustomed to speaking about death nor validating the pain expressed through sadness, fear or anger. Instead, there is often an expectation that everyone must be strong, which ultimately denies our humanity.
You are currently lecturing in psycho-oncology. It is very encouraging that your illness has given you purpose and direction.
Yes. Today, I teach for a private educational institution that promotes comprehensive training for healthcare professionals throughout Latin America. I strive in every class to convey the importance of deeply valuing each individual.
I always tell my students to never forget that the people before them deserve respect and dignity and that a truly compassionate perspective does not mean trying to “save” others but rather helping them develop their own potential.
I believe that every day of my life is an opportunity to continue transforming my karma into mission because I have made my illness a means for instilling hope. In every encounter, I seek to move beyond the victim- and dependency-based view often associated with cancer, encouraging each person to bring forth their own potential and to take on the role of protagonist in their own life story—based on the utmost respect for the dignity of all living beings, as taught by the Soka Gakkai.
Finally, what is the most important message you would like to share with people who are going through illness?
The most important point is the spirit of standing up on one’s own—the spirit of transformation despite adversity. It means that even while suffering, I resolutely refuse to resign myself to what appears to be my fate. Instead, I turn that moment into an opportunity to learn from pain, from the experience I am going through and to make that suffering a means for transforming my life.
Whatever the circumstances—whether you are ill or a family member is going through illness—it is an opportunity for the entire family to transform their outlook on life. It is precisely when we suffer the most that our hearts open, allowing us to connect life to life.
Adapted from the May–June 2025 issue of Revista Nueva Era, Peru Soka Gakkai International.
- *1“The Good Medicine for All Ills,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 937.
