The following is an excerpt from the book titled Baja Legends by Greg Niemenn published in 2002. It’s just a bit of historical information that may serve you to impress friends! For more information on the book and where to acquire it visit the web site:
http://books.google.com.mx/books?id=35WQOduN1F4C
__________________________________________________________
http://books.google.com.mx/books?id=35WQOduN1F4C
__________________________________________________________
~~~~~~~~R O S A R I T O A N D T H E G O L D C O A S T ~~~~~~ ~~
PLAZA DEL MAR
Steve McQueen Sought Cancer Cure
On the bluff a mile or so north of La Fonda Restaurant are what appear to be pre-Columbian statues and a pyramid resembling a Mayan temple. The replicas, on a slight hill next to the Plaza del Mar Resort, were constructed not a millennium ago, but in 1975.
The place was originally a clinic, more specifically a laetrile clinic, where cancer patients could make one final attempt to find a cure after all other avenues had been exhausted. Not legal in the United States, the controversial treatment still attracted those but with a few strands of hope remaining.
One early patient was the popular actor Steve McQueen. Born in Indiana in 1930, McQueen starred in Great Escape, The Sand Pebbles (for which he received and Academy Award nomination), Bullitt (in which he met his wife Ali McGraw), Papillon, and others.
From a troubled youth, McQueen served in the U.S. Marines and always enjoyed living life to the fullest, riding motorcycles and racing cars. He became the highest paid and most popular star of the ‘60s and ‘70s.
By 1980, McQueen had contracted mesothelioma, a rare and painful form of lung cancer. One of the main causes is asbestos, a substance the actor had been around much of his life.
In fact, while in the Aleutian Islands with the Marine Corps, McQueen had been sentenced to six weeks in the brig, where he was assigned a work detail in the engine room of a ship. He had to rip out and replace the asbestos lining on the pipes. He later complained that at times the air was so thick with asbestos particles that the men could hardly breathe.
By the time the cancer is detectable, the patient usually has just months to live. After being told his condition was inoperable, he went to Baja and underwent a three-month crash program at what was then called the American Biologics-Mexico SA Medical Center. At Plaza del Mar, McQueen was housed in a double wide trailer near the bluff top. Some of the old-timers there can show visitors the exact trailer.
His treatment included the powerful B-17, or laetrile, animal cell injections, over 100 vitamin pills a day, diet and exercise. Unfortunately, it did him little good. While laetrile clinics have had some anecdotal successes reported, there has been little documented evidence to those claims.
McQueen’s condition deteriorated and he left the Plaza del Mar to another part of Mexico. There he died on Nov. 7, 1980 at age 50 after undergoing surgery to remove a tumor. He was cremated, and his ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean.
The Plaza del mar has been a hotel with tennis courts, swimming pool, restaurant, and bar. Twice it has been a clinic. The statues out front look hundreds of years old, and the temple, which has been recently repainted, looks like the Mayan Chichén Itzá.
The Plaza del Mar doesn’t contain the history the artifacts suggest it might. But it was the place where actor Steve McQueen tried to save his life.
PLAZA DEL MAR
Steve McQueen Sought Cancer Cure
On the bluff a mile or so north of La Fonda Restaurant are what appear to be pre-Columbian statues and a pyramid resembling a Mayan temple. The replicas, on a slight hill next to the Plaza del Mar Resort, were constructed not a millennium ago, but in 1975.
The place was originally a clinic, more specifically a laetrile clinic, where cancer patients could make one final attempt to find a cure after all other avenues had been exhausted. Not legal in the United States, the controversial treatment still attracted those but with a few strands of hope remaining.
One early patient was the popular actor Steve McQueen. Born in Indiana in 1930, McQueen starred in Great Escape, The Sand Pebbles (for which he received and Academy Award nomination), Bullitt (in which he met his wife Ali McGraw), Papillon, and others.
From a troubled youth, McQueen served in the U.S. Marines and always enjoyed living life to the fullest, riding motorcycles and racing cars. He became the highest paid and most popular star of the ‘60s and ‘70s.
By 1980, McQueen had contracted mesothelioma, a rare and painful form of lung cancer. One of the main causes is asbestos, a substance the actor had been around much of his life.
In fact, while in the Aleutian Islands with the Marine Corps, McQueen had been sentenced to six weeks in the brig, where he was assigned a work detail in the engine room of a ship. He had to rip out and replace the asbestos lining on the pipes. He later complained that at times the air was so thick with asbestos particles that the men could hardly breathe.
By the time the cancer is detectable, the patient usually has just months to live. After being told his condition was inoperable, he went to Baja and underwent a three-month crash program at what was then called the American Biologics-Mexico SA Medical Center. At Plaza del Mar, McQueen was housed in a double wide trailer near the bluff top. Some of the old-timers there can show visitors the exact trailer.
His treatment included the powerful B-17, or laetrile, animal cell injections, over 100 vitamin pills a day, diet and exercise. Unfortunately, it did him little good. While laetrile clinics have had some anecdotal successes reported, there has been little documented evidence to those claims.
McQueen’s condition deteriorated and he left the Plaza del Mar to another part of Mexico. There he died on Nov. 7, 1980 at age 50 after undergoing surgery to remove a tumor. He was cremated, and his ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean.
The Plaza del mar has been a hotel with tennis courts, swimming pool, restaurant, and bar. Twice it has been a clinic. The statues out front look hundreds of years old, and the temple, which has been recently repainted, looks like the Mayan Chichén Itzá.
The Plaza del Mar doesn’t contain the history the artifacts suggest it might. But it was the place where actor Steve McQueen tried to save his life.
2 comments:
plazadelmar001.blogspot.com is very informative. The article is very professionally written. I enjoy reading plazadelmar001.blogspot.com every day.
toronto payday loan
bad credit loans
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!
Post a Comment