Filipino-French businessman Christophe Bariou, the partner of Kapamilya actress Nadine Lustre, has opened up about his private battle with cancer.
In a TikTok video, Christophe shared a series of photos, giving his followers a glimpse of what he went through while fighting the disease.
In a lengthy caption, he admitted that he never really intended to talk about his illness. But now that he has come out the other side, he finally decided to share his story with the world.
"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," he began.
"And while I was successfully overcoming it, I saw many around me losing their lives trying to, so it didn't feel right to talk about myself," he added.
Christophe recalled how he felt when doctors first broke the news to him three years ago. He described it as one of the darkest moments of his life, as he was told he only had a few weeks left to live.
"Around three years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer, and I was told I only had a few weeks left to live. 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," he added.
Then came the mix of emotions. He admitted it frightened him to think he might never get the chance to become a father if the prognosis came true.
"There is no shame in acknowledging I was scared, but I was also angry and frustrated at life. I thought, I'll never have kids, my own family, or finish what I started in Siargao. I will never get my first barrel surf," he said.
Describing the feeling as devastating, he found himself questioning everything.
"'Why is this happening to me? Why me?' I felt so full of life, and suddenly finding out I had a couple of weeks left to live was devastating, to say the least," he said.
"At that point, I was about to choose to stay put in Siargao, live the best I could out of my last days, and not even bother trying to cure myself, since I thought there was not much hope left," he continued.
Just when he was ready to accept his fate, Christophe learned there was still a chance to survive – but only if he flew to France to be treated at a specialized hospital.
"A couple of days later, while trying my best to accept my fate between fear, anxiety, anger and frustration, I learned from other doctors that there was a chance to heal, but I had to drop everything, leave immediately, and go back to France to a specialized hospital," he shared.
Christophe said he was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma. Doctors could not give him exact numbers on his chances of survival, but they pushed through with a treatment plan meant to last six months.
"They discovered I had a very rare type of lymphoma and even mentioned it was so rare they had no statistics of survival, but that they were still hopeful, and my six-month treatment started," he said.
He counted himself lucky, not only because he received some of the best care available, but also because it did not cost him a single peso.
"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," he said.
This led him to reflect on how much harder the same situation can be for patients in other countries, including the Philippines.
"It just makes me think how unfair it can be in other countries when something as bad as this hits," he said.
To his relief, his recovery came far sooner than expected.
"After only two months of intense chemotherapy and immunotherapy, I was in full remission," he said.
Christophe also shared the lessons the experience taught him, and what kept him going through the ordeal.
"Something I learned from this, going through all the terrible side effects of the chemo, is that despite everything, my life goals did not change at all," he said.
"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 added.
A staunch advocate of a plant-based diet and animal rights, Christophe said the experience reminded him of his purpose.
"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," he said.
"Our lives are way too precious to be wasted. In the same breath, other lives are too sacred to be robbed from them, too," he added.
While he admitted he cannot change the world, he hopes his story can inspire others.
"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," he said.
"I can make mistakes, I can make bad decisions, but one thing I never want to have again is regrets. Live and let live," he added.
Christophe also took the time to thank the people who stood by him during the hardest days of his life.
"I can never thank enough everyone who supported me during these tough times – my partner at the time, my family and my friends," he said.