We believe in honoring the giants upon whose shoulders we stand. This week, we mourn the loss of one of those true giants—our good friend, colleague, and a pioneer in the field of natural cancer education, Frank Cousineau.
To simply call Frank a pioneer is to only scratch the surface of a life lived with profound purpose, faith, and generosity. His incredible journey, which began in Hollywood in 1946, was shaped early on by the values his mother instilled in him: Godliness, patriotism, responsibility, and kindness. These principles became the compass for everything he would do.
Frank’s mission began not in a conference room, but at the bedside of his mother. While he was just months away from becoming a teacher, his mother developed cancer for the third time. When conventional surgery and chemotherapy failed, Frank sought alternatives, taking her to Dr. Ernesto Contreras, Sr. in Tijuana, Mexico. This decision not only prolonged her life and made her passing more comfortable, but it also set the course for Frank’s lifelong calling. It was there he met his future wife, Rosario, and discovered his purpose: to guide and help others suffering from cancer toward natural, alternative therapies.
He married Rosario in 1974, beginning a 51-year partnership that blessed them with five children and ten grandchildren. Frank’s work was never confined by borders. In the early 1970s, he pioneered the concept of patient education, leading busloads of Americans on tours of Mexican cancer clinics. He was deeply involved with the Cancer Control Society (CCS) since 1974, and his influence was instrumental in launching the CCS in Japan. And through his role with CCS Japan, he helped facilitate interviews with several doctors whom we interviewed for our docu-series, “Eastern Medicine: Journey through Asia,” which we produced in 2018. His gentle, selfless, and humble nature allowed him to build trust where others could not. He never craved fame; his only goal was to save lives by making people aware of their options.
We were profoundly honored to recognize his decades of tireless work by presenting Frank (and his CCS partner, Lorraine Rosenthal) with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 at our Nashville Charitable Gala, and we were also blessed to be able to contribute $10,000 to the CCS. In the image below, Frank is on the right (top) and Lorraine is on the right (bottom).
The mission Frank began with busloads of patients over 5 decades ago is the very same mission that drives us today. And thanks to his efforts, his work will continue to educate and inspire. Frank’s earthly journey has ended, but his mission is far from over. It lives on in every life he saved, every family he comforted, and every piece of knowledge he helped share.
We will miss our good friend. We will honor him by pressing forward with the same urgency, compassion, and dedication that he showed every day of his remarkable life.
Rest in peace, Frank.
Thank you for lighting the way.
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