Jarry Gervase
Former companion

"When we made the decision to come to the Baja NutriCare clinic, I must admit I had tremendous misgivings about putting my wife Helen’s life in the hands of Mexican physicians. A lifelong career in medical sales left me with a strong belief in the superiority of American Medicine. I also had second thoughts about the diet since I am a pasta-and-pizza person who begins his day with a toasted bagel slathered with jalapeno cream cheese and a Grande Mocha from Starbucks. So it was with trepidation that we walked into the clinic that first day.

My mind was quickly set to rest about the competency of the doctors at Baja NutriCare. They were more professional, caring, and patient-oriented than any doctors I’d ever encountered.
The diet took a little longer. Since I would be helping my wife prepare the foods and juices that would build her back to health, I had to learn the regimen. So I was expected to eat the same nutritious food served to the patients. It was a vegetarian diet which happens to consist of a lot of well, veggies. My usual way of handling vegetables when I couldn’t feed them to the dog was to disguise them with butter and salt. I looked around for both and discovered they were not there. Everyone at the clinic begins the day with oatmeal. I ate a lot of fruit for the first couple of mornings.

I experimented with the condiments at hand, adding garlic and lemon to the soup, using the soup on the potatoes. I made a salad dressing of flax oil, cider vinegar, lemon, garlic, and yogurt. Delicious. I added applesauce to the oatmeal. Soon my wife couldn’t believe the amounts of oatmeal, salads and potatoes I was consuming. Whereas before coming to the Clinic my days had been structured around an afternoon nap, I noticed I had no need for it now; I was full of energy. And although I was eating huge meals, some of that weight that had crept up on me in mid-life was being pared away.

Our stay at the Clinic has been one of the more pleasant experiences of our life together. The friendliness of the staff and other patients and the depth of their compassion are truly genuine. There is a refreshing spirituality to Baja NutriCare, uncommon in a clinical setting, and it was exciting to experience it. My wife and I believe divine intervention lead us to the Clinic. God provides the materials we need to live healthy lives.

The therapy is an extremely labor-intensive program requiring almost constant preparation of food and juices. It is hard work and requires the caregiver to take the lead role in the patient’s well-being. Anyone who has sat by while a loved one receives chemotherapy understands the true meaning of helplessness. Hard work or not, I am overjoyed to at last be taking an active part in Helen’s recovery."

Jerry