Jerald Was Told He Had Months to Live. It’s Been Two Years

After his pancreatic cancer diagnosis, Jerald was given two months to live. Two years later, he is feeling better than ever. 

Two years ago, Jerald was diagnosed with stage 3 pancreatic cancer. The prognosis was grim: his doctors told him that if he didn’t start high-dose chemotherapy immediately, he would likely not survive beyond four months.

But he refused to give in to the fear and uncertainty. 

Today, Jerald is thriving. With a clear head and open heart – and a body showing no evidence of the disease he was once told would surely kill him in less than half a year – Jerald is now helping those who are facing the same terrifying diagnosis he once received.

This is his story.

During a routine scan of his pancreas, Jerald’s doctors saw an abnormality on his imaging but couldn’t say with certainty what it was. “I remember vaguely wondering if it was serious,” Jerald recalls. “I didn’t have to wait very long to find out.”

Very quickly, he developed jaundice and was admitted to the hospital. A surgical oncologist strongly suspected cancer and urged him to take immediate action. “It all moved so fast,” Jerald says. “One minute I was optimistic, the next I was being told to prepare for the worst.”

Surgery confirmed the worst: pancreatic cancer. Jerald was referred to an oncologist who recommended starting an aggressive round of chemotherapy. Jerald remembers the conversation: “I began to understand the plan was to kill all of my healthy cells just to try and get, at most, half of the cancer cells.”

“I didn’t particularly like those odds,” he adds.

But when he hesitated, the doctor’s response was harsh. “He closed his book, looked me in the eye, and told me, ‘If you don’t do this, the cancer will spread, and in two to four months, there’ll be nothing we can do.’ It felt like I was being handed a death sentence.”

Not wanting to rush into any decisions, Jerald and his wife began exploring their treatment options. But the moment they started researching alternatives, the process quickly became overwhelming. “We were completely inundated with choices,” he says.

“Outpatient clinic or inpatient hospital? Abroad or local? Experimental or well-tested? We didn’t even know where to start.”

Their search eventually led them to Heal Navigator. After exploring the site, Jerald spoke with Head of Patient Care, Paityn Thorn. “Getting to speak to a real person who actually understood what I was going through was a real turning point,” he explains. “We had already narrowed it down to a few places. Then Paityn helped us choose the clinic that best suited my needs. Oasis of Hope Hospital in Tijuana, Mexico.”

Jerald and his wife made the short journey down to Mexico, where he began treatment at Oasis of Hope, an alternative care clinic that uses patients’ full medical history, cancer markers, and prior treatments to build an integrative care plan designed specifically for each individual. Within two days, Jerald had a customized program tailored precisely to his unique needs.

It is the last element of his protocol that truly set the Oasis experience apart from the conventional medical environments Jerald had found himself in..

He describes a genuine healing community, where patients shared meals, encouraged one another during treatment, and celebrated each other’s scan results. And the support wasn’t just from fellow patients – he felt that same warmth from his doctors and nurses as well.

“In the hospital, I was pretty much just a case number,” he says. “But at Oasis, they actually treated me like a human being. And they truly believed in my ability to get better.”

Being told he was NED (No Evidence of Disease) is a moment Jerald will carry with him for the rest of his life. “After Dr. Contreras handed me my scans, he pulled me into the warmest hug. Everyone in the clinic was celebrating with me.”

These days, Jerald is feeling better than ever. “My immune system has never been so strong,” he related. “I haven’t had a cold, flu, or anything. Even my blood markers are better than average.” 

He attributes this outcome not just to the treatment itself, but to Oasis’s integrative approach, which focuses on whole-body healing, emotional wellness, and community. 

“This is exactly how cancer care should be,” he asserts.

Two years after he was first given his grim diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, Jerald vividly recalls that terrible day. “You’ve got experts telling you you’re going to die if you don’t go with what they’re recommending. There’s fear. Confusion. It’s a huge weight on your shoulders.”

But one fateful call altered the trajectory of his entire life. “Wading through the sea of alternative care options is no easy feat. Paityn was absolutely instrumental in helping us make the right choice. It wasn’t just her in-depth knowledge of every single clinic and treatment – it was the first time I felt like someone was actually listening to me instead of just talking at me.”

Today, Jerald is determined to help those who are now standing where he oncHeal Navigator Facebook group, encouraging other members to stay hopeful and ask questions.

“If I can help even one person, it’s all worth it.”