My mom was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. We knew we didn’t want to do conventional chemotherapy and radiation. We heard good things about the clinics in Mexico and what they were able to offer. A relative of a friend of ours told us of a clinic in Tijuana, Mexico called Rubio Cancer Center where he had received treatment for a certain cancer and was now living a active and healthy life. Having a recommendation means a lot when you’re thinking of doing cancer treatment in Mexico.
We called their patient advocate, Carolyn Gross. When you’re researching places to treat your mother who is very ill with cancer, your judgment might be a little off, as was mine. Looking back, I should have seen the signs. Carolyn Gross comes off as very caring, throwing out taglines like, “when there’s hope, there’s healing.” She talked and talked, but it was mostly about their philosophy rather than their procedures and treatments. We would ask her a question, but the answers in a practical sense seemed vague. However, she did say that for $6,500.00 a week we will throw everything we’ve got at that cancer. We were desperate, my mom was in a lot of pain and we needed to get her help right away.
The most important question we had asked Carolyn was whether or not they would follow the results of scientifically advanced test we had undergone previously called the RGCC test. This was critical for us. They had spent a lot of time and money already acquiring the results of this test, because it insured my mom from taking chemo drugs that were not effective on my her particular cancer. She answered, ”yes we do”. That sealed it for us in deciding to come, knowing they were aware and practicing the results of the RGCC test. But, to top it off we had a recommendation.
We flew her and my dad out to San Diego where they were picked up by a shuttle and taken to the clinic. The pictures they have up on their website of the clinic are some what of a distortion. First of all, The facility is in a very congested industrial part of Tijuana. Secondly, these pictures were obviously photoshopped as you can see from the gallery.
Upon receiving a tour of the clinic they then became aware just how small it really was. This however, did not present a problem for my mom and dad, since they had lived in other countries and had become accustom to these things.
The nurses were very sweet and caring even though there was a language barrier.
Another thing that was concerning is that the food was not organic…not at all. In fact, one morning, they served my mom waffles! If you know anything about a cancer diet…you should be avoiding all white flour and sugar.
They saw Dr. Rubio only a handful of times. He seemed like a very nice man. But my parents never got a clear understanding of the treatment they would be receiving. There wasn’t good communication. It all seemed very unorganized.
The final straw…one night is their room, a nurse comes in and starts setting up an IV bag. My dad noticed it was a different color than the usual clear liquid she had been receiving. He asked what it was, and the nurse said, “chemo.” They hadn’t talked to the doctor about it at all. Usually when you start a treatment, a doctor will tell you about it, side effects, a plan, etc. My dad asked to speak with the doctor. There was a night duty doctor that didn’t seem to really know what was going on either. It was becoming a theme at the clinic that you never really knew what was going on. Everything was vague and unclear. We later found out that the chemo drug Dr. Rubio was administering wasn’t the chemo drug that the RGCC test had recommended. When we later asked about it, Carolyn Gross said that Dr. Rubio was doing his own plan. Another example of how we felt in the dark about what our health plan was.
It was really hard for my dad, but he knew he had to get my mom out of there. She had already been through so much. They found a wonderful treatment center called Sanoviv Medical Institute. I’ll tell you about it later, but it was like going from hell to heaven.
My parents were only at Dr. Rubio’s Cancer Center for only about 4 days. They paid them $6,500 for the week. My dad called Carolyn Gross and asked for a small refund for the time they weren’t there. Carolyn seemed very aloof and unsympathetic. Before we came to the clinic, she told us that it was $6,500 a week, and that it would cover everything. Now she told my dad that he now owed an extra $5,200 dollars on top of that. ($2000 for each ozone treatment and $1200 for the insertion of a catheter.) Again, nothing was ever made clear to us. You would think that someone would tell you if you’re doing a treatment that is going to cost you five thousand dollars extra, on top of the already six thousand we were spending.
I’m trying to be level headed as a write this and to just state the facts, so you can make your best judgement. I know some people have had success at Dr. Rubio’s but that wasn’t our story.
I want to advise anyone thinking about going to Dr. Rubio’s Cancer Center to really look at all your options. If you sense any red flags at all, or anything that doesn’t seem right…go with your instincts. Make sure everything is clear and in writing. There are really amazing clinics in Mexico that practice amazing integrative and alternative treatments…but I don’t think Dr. Rubio’s Cancer Center is the best option.
Rubio Cancer Center Reviews
My mom was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. We knew we didn’t want to do conventional chemotherapy and radiation. We heard good things about the clinics in Mexico and what they were able to offer. A relative of a friend of ours told us of a clinic in Tijuana, Mexico called Rubio Cancer Center where he had received treatment for a certain cancer and was now living a active and healthy life. Having a recommendation means a lot when you’re thinking of doing cancer treatment in Mexico.
We called their patient advocate, Carolyn Gross. When you’re researching places to treat your mother who is very ill with cancer, your judgment might be a little off, as was mine. Looking back, I should have seen the signs. Carolyn Gross comes off as very caring, throwing out taglines like, “when there’s hope, there’s healing.” She talked and talked, but it was mostly about their philosophy rather than their procedures and treatments. We would ask her a question, but the answers in a practical sense seemed vague. However, she did say that for $6,500.00 a week we will throw everything we’ve got at that cancer. We were desperate, my mom was in a lot of pain and we needed to get her help right away.
The most important question we had asked Carolyn was whether or not they would follow the results of scientifically advanced test we had undergone previously called the RGCC test. This was critical for us. They had spent a lot of time and money already acquiring the results of this test, because it insured my mom from taking chemo drugs that were not effective on my her particular cancer. She answered, ”yes we do”. That sealed it for us in deciding to come, knowing they were aware and practicing the results of the RGCC test. But, to top it off we had a recommendation.
We flew her and my dad out to San Diego where they were picked up by a shuttle and taken to the clinic. The pictures they have up on their website of the clinic are some what of a distortion. First of all, The facility is in a very congested industrial part of Tijuana. Secondly, these pictures were obviously photoshopped as you can see from the gallery.
Upon receiving a tour of the clinic they then became aware just how small it really was. This however, did not present a problem for my mom and dad, since they had lived in other countries and had become accustom to these things.
The nurses were very sweet and caring even though there was a language barrier.
Another thing that was concerning is that the food was not organic…not at all. In fact, one morning, they served my mom waffles! If you know anything about a cancer diet…you should be avoiding all white flour and sugar.
They saw Dr. Rubio only a handful of times. He seemed like a very nice man. But my parents never got a clear understanding of the treatment they would be receiving. There wasn’t good communication. It all seemed very unorganized.
The final straw…one night is their room, a nurse comes in and starts setting up an IV bag. My dad noticed it was a different color than the usual clear liquid she had been receiving. He asked what it was, and the nurse said, “chemo.” They hadn’t talked to the doctor about it at all. Usually when you start a treatment, a doctor will tell you about it, side effects, a plan, etc. My dad asked to speak with the doctor. There was a night duty doctor that didn’t seem to really know what was going on either. It was becoming a theme at the clinic that you never really knew what was going on. Everything was vague and unclear. We later found out that the chemo drug Dr. Rubio was administering wasn’t the chemo drug that the RGCC test had recommended. When we later asked about it, Carolyn Gross said that Dr. Rubio was doing his own plan. Another example of how we felt in the dark about what our health plan was.
It was really hard for my dad, but he knew he had to get my mom out of there. She had already been through so much. They found a wonderful treatment center called Sanoviv Medical Institute. I’ll tell you about it later, but it was like going from hell to heaven.
My parents were only at Dr. Rubio’s Cancer Center for only about 4 days. They paid them $6,500 for the week. My dad called Carolyn Gross and asked for a small refund for the time they weren’t there. Carolyn seemed very aloof and unsympathetic. Before we came to the clinic, she told us that it was $6,500 a week, and that it would cover everything. Now she told my dad that he now owed an extra $5,200 dollars on top of that. ($2000 for each ozone treatment and $1200 for the insertion of a catheter.) Again, nothing was ever made clear to us. You would think that someone would tell you if you’re doing a treatment that is going to cost you five thousand dollars extra, on top of the already six thousand we were spending.
I’m trying to be level headed as a write this and to just state the facts, so you can make your best judgement. I know some people have had success at Dr. Rubio’s but that wasn’t our story.
I want to advise anyone thinking about going to Dr. Rubio’s Cancer Center to really look at all your options. If you sense any red flags at all, or anything that doesn’t seem right…go with your instincts. Make sure everything is clear and in writing. There are really amazing clinics in Mexico that practice amazing integrative and alternative treatments…but I don’t think Dr. Rubio’s Cancer Center is the best option.