Stamatis Moraitis was a Greek immigrant living in the United States when he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and told he only had nine months to live. He was offered aggressive treatment, but after nine doctors confessed it wouldn’t save his life, he decided to decline treatment, keep his savings, and move with his wife back to his native island in Greece. Stamatis decided he would be buried with his ancestors in a graveyard overlooking the Aegean Sea. In the meantime, he moved in with his elderly parents, who lived in a small house on a vineyard.
When his friends heard that he was back home, they visited frequently, showing up with bottles of wine, books, and board games. Stamatis planted vegetables in the garden—even though he might never see them grow. He decided to let go of what he couldn’t control and live as if he were healthy. He took naps when he wanted, rarely looked at his watch, spent a lot of time outdoors, and enjoyed many happy moments with his loved ones. He lived like this for months.
And something curious happened …
After nine months, not only was he still alive, but he was feeling better than ever. So, he continued to live like this for as long as he could. At one point, 25 years after his diagnosis, Stamatis decided to go back to the US to better understand what had happened to him. He took various tests, only to discover that he was completely cancer free. Stamatis lived to be 102 years old, which he attributed to his happy mindset and lifestyle.
Stamatis’s story was published in the New York Times magazine in 2012 shortly before he passed. W
hile an incredible story, there are numerous others like it, each with a common thread: the power of our own minds to heal us—IF we practice religiously and with conviction. (I will be exploring this concept more deeply at the “Master Your Health and Immune System” workshop—see this link and watch this video to learn more.)
It’s time to learn and connect with the most powerful tool we have available to us: our mind.
