The Greek man who was diagnosed with cancer, given only months to live – and survived for decades after returning to Ikaria

The communicative of Stamatis Moraitis, a household antheral and Second World War veteran, took an unexpected crook successful 1976, erstwhile helium received what appeared to beryllium a terminal diagnosis – lone for his beingness to travel a precise antithetic course.

It began erstwhile Mr. Moraitis recovered himself struggling to respire portion climbing stairs and decided to spot a doctor. Although bosom illness was initially ruled out, further tests showed that helium had an assertive signifier of lung cancer. Doctors gave him betwixt six and 9 months to live. At the time, helium was astir 60 years aged and surviving successful the United States with his family.

After receiving the aforesaid diagnosis from respective doctors, helium was faced with a captious choice: stay successful the United States and acquisition intensive chemotherapy, oregon instrumentality to his autochthonal Greek island, Ikaria to walk what helium believed would beryllium the last months of his life.

He chose to spell backmost to the island, partially due to the fact that helium wanted to beryllium buried successful the household grave, but besides to debar the precocious outgo of a ceremonial successful America, opting alternatively for the accepted and acold little costly arrangements successful Ikaria.

The Return to Ikaria – and a prognosis overturned

After the travel back, his archetypal days connected the land were difficult. He spent astir of his clip successful bed. Soon, however, puerility friends began visiting him each day. Their gatherings progressive agelong conversations and a solid of vino – thing Moraitis aboriginal said made him consciousness better.

When the archetypal six months had passed, thing happened that nary 1 had expected: not lone was helium inactive alive, helium was feeling stronger. He got retired of bed, began tending his garden, went for walks and spent his afternoons astatine the colony café, playing backgammon with friends.

Months turned into years. His regular beingness changed completely, and the unwellness appeared to retreat. Moraitis continued surviving connected the land and adjacent built other rooms successful his location truthful that his children and grandchildren from America could visit.

International attraction – and his «secret»

Stamatis Moraitis’s communicative soon attracted attraction from Greek and planetary media. It was featured by the BBC and The New York Times, portion helium was besides visited by the squad down the Netflix bid Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones.

When presenter Dan Buettner asked him astir the concealed down his longevity, Moraitis gave a simple, memorable answer: «I don’t know. I conjecture I forgot to die.»

How helium managed to unrecorded for truthful galore years without attraction remains unclear and continues to intrigue experts. Moraitis himself attributed his betterment to factors specified arsenic a steadfast fare and a alteration of environment.

Stamatis Moraitis died successful 2013, officially astatine the property of 98 – oregon 102, according to his ain relationship – having lived astir 4 decades beyond the archetypal aesculapian prognosis.