"Told He Had 6 Months to Live with Terminal Lung Cancer"... Man Lived 40 More Years in His Hometown, Here’s Why [Health Talk]

[The Financial News] The story of a man who was given a terminal diagnosis for advanced lung cancer, then returned to his hometown and survived for more than 40 years, is drawing renewed attention. The man was Stamatis Moraitis from Greece.
According to foreign media including the British outlet Daily Mirror, Moraitis moved to the United States of America (U.S.) in the 1940s and was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in his mid-60s. After several specialists gave him a grim prognosis, he chose to forgo chemotherapy and instead returned to his native Ikaria, an island in the Aegean Sea. Ikaria is known as a "Blue Zone" with a high concentration of long-lived residents.
His lifestyle changed completely after he moved back home. He woke up without an alarm, took naps during the day, and stayed physically active by growing vegetables and tending his vineyard. After sunset, he spent long evenings talking with neighbors while drinking homemade wine. He received no specific medical treatment, yet his health gradually began to improve.


Years later, when he visited the U.S. again, he recalled, "I wanted to ask them how I was still alive." However, he said that by then, most of the doctors who had given him a terminal prognosis had already passed away.
Moraitis pointed to a "slow life" as the key to his recovery. He told longevity researcher Dan Buettner that living at a stress-free pace had been decisive. Buettner, who has explored longevity regions with National Geographic, described him as "the most remarkable person I met in the course of my research."
Buettner noted, "He went back to Ikaria to prepare for death, but by changing his environment and lifestyle without any treatment, he set himself on a path to recovery." He added, "Unlike modern culture, which constantly seeks convenience, daily life on Ikaria is filled with natural movement, a certain level of inconvenience, and dense social connections."


Research has found that residents of Ikaria are more than twice as likely as people in the U.S. to live to age 90, and that the onset of cancer and cardiovascular disease tends to occur later. Locals maintain a largely plant-based diet and stay active by walking up and down the island’s steep terrain as part of daily life. Above all, they regard social interaction as a core element of living well.
After living 40 more years beyond his terminal prognosis, Moraitis became a symbol of Ikaria’s longevity lifestyle. When asked how he had managed to overcome cancer, he simply replied, "It just went away." He is believed to have died at the age of either 98 or 102.
Experts caution, however, that Moraitis’s case is extremely rare, and that it is dangerous to use it as a basis for blindly believing in spontaneous natural healing. Even so, his story draws attention because it highlights how strongly living conditions and lifestyle can influence health. Specialists advise that factors such as sufficient sleep, regular physical activity, a healthy diet, and active social engagement are all elements that can realistically be incorporated into everyday life.


hsg@fnnews.com Han Seung-gon Reporter