Christophe on his battle with cancer: “It was a brutal reminder that life is fleeting”
Christophe Bariou, the non-showbiz boyfriend of Nadine Lustre, bravely shared his battle with cancer and the lessons he learned from it in an Instagram post on June 7.
“This was something I never thought I’d share at all on social media. Maybe I never did because I preferred not to be seen as the victim or to use this illness to appeal for pity.
“Around 3 years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer and I was told I only had a few weeks left to live,” wrote Christophe.
Though the Filipino-French businessman said it was not his first time to have felt “the darkest sensation of fear” under a life-threatening situation, he also admitted that discovering he had such illness was entirely different.
“The enemy was invisible and deep inside my own body – a body that I never doubted before, at the age of 27.”
Not only did Christophe feel scared, but he was also angry and frustrated that it was happening to him.
The sudden discovery that he only had a couple weeks left to live, despite being full of life all along, was devastating for him.
“I thought, I’ll never have kids, my own family, or finish what I started in Siargao. I will never get my first barrel surfing.”
Thinking that he did not have much hope to be cured, Christophe was then about to make a decision to stay in Siargao and live out his last days as best as he can without getting treatment.
But as he was trying to accept the fact, he received news from other doctors a couple days later about a chance for his healing. The only thing he needed to do was to “drop everything, leave immediately, and go back to France to a specialized hospital.”
In France, Christophe was diagnosed with a very rare type of lymphoma with no statistics of survival, and was started on a six-month treatment.
“After only 2 months of intense chemotherapy and immunotherapy, I was in full remission.”
If there was something that Christophe learned out of his difficult battle with cancer, it was that his life goals remained the same. The only difference was that this time around, he had more intention and motivation to accomplish them.
Aside from this, Christophe realized the value of being mindful and conscious in every action that he makes, whether it only affects him or other people. As he emphasized that our lives are too precious to be wasted, he also believed that other lives are too sacred to be taken away from them.
Because while Christophe admitted he could make mistakes and bad decisions, he never wants to be full of regrets again. Using the phrase written on his Instagram bio, he concluded the post: “Live and let live.”
READ ALSO: Nadine Lustre Gets Vulnerable In Newly Launched Vlog
Words Ria Javate
Banner Art Paulo Correa
