In a rare instance, Christophe Bariou, Nadine Lustre's French beau, opened up about himself online, revealing his battle with the Big C.
Christophe revealed that he was diagnosed some three years ago.
He shared how he felt about it.
"I experienced the darkest sensation of fear, which is something I thought I had already known because it wasn’t the first time I was in a life threatening situation," he said. "But this was 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 was he "scared," he was also "angry" and "frustrated."
"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. Why is this happening to me? Why me? I felt so full of life and suddenly finding out I had a couple weeks left to live was devastating… to say the least," he stressed.
At that point, he thought of staying put in Siargao, aiming to live his last days the best way he could.
Until he learned from doctors that there was a chance he could survive it.
"And my 6 month treatment started," he said, relating how he immediately flew back to France for it.
"Not only was I lucky enough to benefit from the best treatments available from the leading cancer research center in Europe, but all of this was completely free of charge thanks to the rights the French fought for. It just makes me think how unfair it can be in other countries when something as bad as this hits."
After two months of intense chemotherapy and immunotherapy, he was in full remission.
Despite everything, his life goals did not change at all.
"I wanted to get back on my feet as fast as possible and continue everything I started, but with more intention and even more motivation," he noted.
"When it comes to advocacies, it was a brutal reminder that life is fleeting. We do not have the luxury to wander and be mindless. I want to be mindful and conscious in every action. The best I can do is to lessen the suffering and cruelty around me, and promote kindness and compassion towards all forms of life – human and non-human. Our lives are way too precious to be wasted. In the same breath, other lives are too sacred to be robbed from them, too," Christophe maintained.
He made clear, "I have no pretension of changing the world or saying anything revolutionary but simply hoping some readers will realize they should not wait for life to hit them hard to realize all of this. I can make mistakes, I can make bad decisions but one thing I never want to have again is regrets."
He advised his followers: "Live and let live."
"I can never thank enough everyone who supported me during these tough times – my partner at the time, my family and my friends," he ended.