GIST Foundation

This GIST cancer foundation, established by 79-year-old Jairo Cabrera, revolves around recovery through reading. He is a book lover who lives in Bogotá with his wife Celmira Olaya, and has built his life around different areas of knowledge, which, according to him, “maintain the sanity of people in this cruel and complicated world.” His passion for books began a few years ago, when he had to retire.

Cabrera studied Engineering and Physics at the National University. For 10 years he was a teacher, then he was an engineer at ExxonMobil. As he has always been a very busy and mentally active person, when he stopped working he found refuge in reading; so much so that he founded a book club and the GIST Foundation.

Direct Bogotá [DB]: Why books and not another activity?

Jairo cabrera [J. C.]: I have always considered myself a person [a la] who likes to acquire knowledge. That is why I studied two majors and was a teacher. Another activity would have kept me moving, but this one keeps me mentally active. That is the power of books.

DB: Have you always been a book lover?

JC: No. I feel that since school we have been made to despise reading because of the way it is presented. You should read because you like it, not because you have to. My passion for books started when my wife took me to a bookstore and told me to read a book that I liked, no matter which one. I chose Essay on Blindnessby José Saramago. From there I started to enjoy it a lot. It’s like watching movies, but putting the settings, the faces and everything to your liking.

DB: What is the initiative of the books with the GIST Foundation?

JC: To put a bit of context, this foundation was created to treat stomach cancer. We started when my brother got sick, and since he died I take care of her completely. Visiting people, I realized that it is hard enough to go through all the treatments physically to allow our sanity to wipe out with the disease as well. I talked to my wife and children and we scheduled monthly visits to talk to patients; They ask us for the book they want and we take it to them. A healthy mind helps the body heal. And books, in this case, would be that mental medicine that we need.

DB: Since you refer to books as mental medicine, do you think it is important that now with COVID-19 we always keep a book close at hand?

JC: This question is curious. I always talk to my granddaughter about it. I call her weekly, because I always send her books. Knowing so many responsibilities that you have and that adolescence is a difficult age, I want your brain to be healthy and nourished so that you can face all your dilemmas from other perspectives. So yes, I consider it extremely important that people read, and more so now with the confinement and change of routine.

DB: Have the books changed your perspective on your life?

JC: Since he died, my brother has locked myself in reading. It reminds me a lot of him, [pues] he liked to read. They have changed from the conversations I have to the friends I share with.

DB: How is it to change the conversations and friendships you share with?

JC: The conversations are now deeper, always with a goal. There are different debates and thoughts, and now I see them as an opportunity to read and nourish myself on the subject. Not like a constant fight that I must win. Moving on to friendships, I now hang out with people with this same thought. We all have very different perspectives on life. But reading taught us to be so critical that we enjoy debating issues we are passionate about separately. That is why I insist on placing too much importance on reading. If from a young age we were taught that we can have a superpower with it, I think that we would be better as a society.

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