Vitas Healthcare, an end-of-life organization in The United States said VR reduces pain, depression, anxiety, and reliance on medication for many of their patients. Thanks to VR, terminally ill people can be a part of weddings, birthdays, and graduations without leaving their beds. VR gives people the opportunity to experience important family milestones that they would otherwise miss. This means VR has the potential to change the way people live with a terminal illness.


Advances in VR hardware technology will enable creators and clinical teams to build suitable applications for all ages and abilities. The landline took 75 years to develop, whereas now, most cell phone apps are developed within a month. As we advance VR technology, meaningful applications will get to market faster and better. Even though healthcare has traditionally been slow to adopt new technologies, VR has expanded quite quickly and successfully.
As a founder of MARS VR Lab, I have witnessed how healthcare moves slowly, but more importantly, why this is a necessity. Clinical teams carry the burden of long hours, emotional strain, and intense pressure. To ask healthcare professionals to adopt a new way and to abandon familiar processes or tools that already work is a big ask.



Before Shawn (my co-founder) and I started MARS VR Lab, we launched Halifax VR – a family-friendly destination to enjoy catered VR experiences. During this time one woman reached out to ask if we did more than VR parties and events. She was looking for a way to help her dying mother fulfill a lifelong wish of visiting Australia. This is when I knew I wanted to do more than just virtual reality parties and games – I wanted to help people in meaningful ways. Shawn and I were able to fulfill this person’s wish, by creating a memory that I will cherish and never forget.