Most of what I do costs nothing.
And the part that does cost something buys my time and my legwork — never access to a doctor, and never a medical opinion.
The majority of what I do is completely free.
I spend roughly six hours every day answering cancer-related comments, emails and messages across social media. Hundreds of them. None of those people pay me anything.
Alongside that I research cancer treatments and treatment possibilities for different cancers, follow specialist conferences and educational events, keep learning about interventional radiology and other approaches, and make content to help people discover treatments or questions they may not have known existed.
I care most about people facing a devastating Stage 4 diagnosis, or being told their options are running out. I know exactly what that fear feels like.
Nobody has to pay me to benefit from what I share publicly. My paid services exist only for people who want my dedicated one-to-one time, and the administration, navigation and practical support that goes with it.
Three years of research, and hundreds of people.
I have spent roughly three years intensively researching cancer. It began because I was desperately researching my own Stage 4 diagnosis. As more people started contacting me, I began researching other people's cancers, treatment possibilities and individual situations too.
I have now helped hundreds and hundreds of people. Through that I have built up substantial lived and research-based knowledge, particularly around Stage 4 cancer, navigating difficult prognoses, interventional radiology, seeking specialist opinions, the Frankfurt pathway, and the practical reality of being a frightened patient trying to find another option.
What I am, and what I am not
I am not medically qualified. I do not diagnose cancer, determine treatment suitability, prescribe medication, interpret symptoms as a clinician, or guarantee outcomes. I do not replace an oncologist, a doctor, a radiologist, a psychiatrist or any other appropriately qualified medical professional.
Professor Vogl and other qualified healthcare professionals make all medical decisions. What I provide is lived experience, research, signposting, patient navigation and practical support.
What you are actually paying for.
You are not paying me for Professor Vogl's email address, and you are not paying for an introduction. Depending on the service you book, this is the work involved.
Initial assessment
I can complete with you a detailed medical questionnaire I have personally developed with Professor Vogl, designed to give him the relevant information he needs to assess your case quickly and determine whether you may be a suitable candidate for treatment.
Professor Vogl — not me — determines medical suitability.
Referral
I can organise and submit your information through the pathway I use with Professor Vogl, so that he can professionally assess your case.
Administration and communication
I can deal with, or help you manage, the administration and communication with Professor Vogl and his team. For somebody who does not understand the system, this can otherwise be time-consuming, frustrating, confusing and stressful.
I have learned how Professor Vogl prefers information and communication to be organised. That experience can make the process clearer and more efficient, and help you avoid common pitfalls.
Navigating a different healthcare system
University Hospital Frankfurt does not necessarily provide appointment letters, detailed instructions and pre-treatment information in the way UK patients are used to receiving them. I help bridge that practical gap.
- What happens next
- What you need to do, and where you need to go
- What you need to prepare and what to take
- What to expect — and what you may need to ask for yourself
If you want me alongside you for the whole journey.
Everything above gets your case to Professor Vogl and an appointment in the diary. For some people that is all they need — they take it from there themselves.
Others want more than that, because going to a hospital in another country while seriously unwell is its own ordeal. If Professor Vogl accepts your case and you would like me with you through the practical side of it, that is something we can arrange separately.
Travel and Frankfurt preparation
Practical guidance on travelling to Frankfurt, getting from the airport, getting to the hospital, where to stay, navigating the hospital itself, preparing for the appointment, what to take and what to expect.
A complete first-treatment-day walkthrough
I can talk you through the first day in detail — arrival, hospital navigation, clinics, imaging, preparation, treatment, recovery and leaving the hospital. The purpose is to remove as much uncertainty as possible before you are standing in it.
Two detailed guidance documents
I provide two practical patient guides covering the first Frankfurt experience: navigating the hospital, the clinics you may encounter, what happens during the day, practical do's and don'ts, useful questions, common pitfalls, things you may need to ask for, things you may not automatically be told, and what to expect before and after treatment.
Knowing what to ask for yourself
I help you understand the practical things you may need to request yourself, rather than assuming everything will automatically be provided. I can also help you prepare useful questions for Professor Vogl and the clinical team.
Support on the treatment day, and afterwards
I can remain available for practical questions while you are navigating your first treatment experience. Being ill, frightened and in an unfamiliar hospital in another country can be overwhelming, and knowing somebody who understands the process is reachable can take a great deal of that away.
The period after a first treatment can feel frightening too, when you don't know what the immediate aftermath may feel like. I can share my lived experience and practical knowledge of the process, and help you identify questions or concerns to raise with the appropriate clinical team.
This is practical and lived-experience support. I do not medically assess side effects.
This deeper support is arranged individually rather than sold as a fixed package, because what people need varies enormously and I can only take on a small number of these at a time. If it is something you would like, mention it and we will talk about whether it makes sense for you.
When you're frightened, unwell and overwhelmed, another country's healthcare system can feel impossible.
Most people who come to me are in one of the most frightening periods of their lives. Seriously unwell, exhausted, anxious, struggling to process complex information, frightened of making the wrong decision, frightened of wasting time they may not have.
I understand that because I have been there. My role is to give you clarity, a clear pathway and practical support, so you know what to expect, what to ask and what to do next.
- Clarity, and a clear pathway
- Practical organisation
- Reduced uncertainty, stress and anxiety
- Time saved
- Potential cost saved by avoiding unnecessary mistakes or intermediaries
- Help avoiding the pitfalls I had to learn for myself
- Knowing what to expect, and where to go
- Knowing what to ask, and what happens next
A second opinion cannot promise you a different outcome.
But it may reveal an option you didn't know existed — and when you have been told you are running out of options, that can matter enormously.
I believe strongly in investigating appropriate specialist second opinions. My own second opinion changed the course of my life. But I want to be very clear about the limits of that:
- No guarantees are ever made, by me or by anyone else
- No cancer treatment is a magic bullet
- Germany is not appropriate for every patient
- Professor Vogl decides whether he believes someone is a suitable candidate for his treatment
My outcome is mine. It is not a promise that anyone else will experience the same thing.
I receive no commission from Professor Vogl
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas J. Vogl is a salaried professor and physician at University Hospital Frankfurt. I am not employed by, or affiliated with, Professor Vogl or the University Hospital. I receive no commission, referral fee, treatment discount, free treatment or other benefit in kind from either — and Professor Vogl receives no financial benefit from the services I provide.
Any fee paid to me is solely for my own time, research, experience, administration, patient navigation and practical support.
If you'd like my dedicated time.
There are two, and the difference between them is simple: whether you want to talk to me, or just want the referral handled.
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