CHRISTOPHE Bariou, the boyfriend of actress Nadine Lustre, has revealed that he is a cancer survivor.
In his latest TikTok post, the Filipino-French businessman opened up about his battle with the disease.
“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.”
“But 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.
“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.”
He admitted that while he was afraid, he also felt angry and frustrated.
“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 surfing.”
Bariou said he initially decided to spend what he believed were his remaining days in Siargao and had no plans of seeking treatment.
However, doctors advised him that he still had a chance of recovery if he underwent treatment in France.
He immediately flew to France, where he was fortunate to receive treatment free of charge.
“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. 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.”
Instead of undergoing the full six months of treatment, Bariou achieved complete remission after just two months of chemotherapy and immunotherapy. He also said he did not experience severe side effects and was able to return to his normal life. / TRC
