From Our Refuge
to Yours
"This clinic was born of a genuine desire to care. It brings together clinical rigour, time, and close support for people going through cancer with questions, symptoms, and difficult decisions."
Dr. Sara Simões
Althea + Ara
Althea
A name of Greek origin that evokes care.
Ara
The Latin word for altar: a place of presence, support, and protection.
From their union comes Althara: science to decide with rigour, care to welcome, and presence throughout every journey.
The Pillars of Our Founding
Clarity and Conversation
Oncology terms can be frightening and can put up barriers. Our commitment is to take the time needed to explain, to listen, and to help clarify any doubts.
Caring for the Person Who Feels
The cancer journey can bring fear, anxiety, and exhaustion. Psychological support helps you cope with these changes and protect your quality of life.
The Power of Movement
Adapted exercise can help manage fatigue, preserve strength and function, and help a person regain confidence in their body — always with clinical safety.
Integrative Nutrition
Nutrition is adapted to your treatment, symptoms, food tolerance, and clinical goals, with attention to interactions between medicines, supplements, and nutrients.
A Shelter of Care
On the cancer journey, everyone needs a place where they can talk without rushing, organise their questions, and receive support that complements the treatment under way.
Our purpose — mine and Rui's — was also born of our own vulnerability. When we went through a health problem of our own and found ourselves missing both a listening ear and communication between the various professionals involved, we saw how heavily distress, uncertainty, and loneliness can weigh. It was from that experience that the wish grew to create close, clear support, coordinated with each person's medical care.
We want Althara to be a space of clinical support, clarity, and continuity throughout the journey.
Rigour & Humanity
A safe structure to care for the person in their physical, emotional, and human dimensions.
The approach is guided by Dr. Sara Simões, who combines her international training with a deeply human view of medicine: caring for people, with rigour, time, and presence.
Supported by tools built with dedication by her husband, software engineer Rui Lomba, designed to simplify processes and free up time for what really matters: caring for you.