Stamatis Moraitis, a Greek war veteran, came to the US in 1943, to receive treatment for his combat-mangled arm. He eventually decided to stay here and, just like every other immigrant, he was a hard working man trying to built his new life.
But then, in 1976, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Moraitis recalls that ten doctors confirmed the diagnosis giving him only nine months to live. Because having a funeral in the US was much more expensive than a funeral in his hometown of Ikaria, he decided to return to his island in order to leave more of his retirement savings for his wife, Elpiniki and be buried with his ancestors, overlooking the Aegean Sea.
In the upcoming months though, something strange happened. Not only Moraitis did not die, he started to feel stronger. Nine months came and went but Moraitis did not die. As time went by, he was gaining confidence and he even started to normally work at his vineyards. (the article continues after the ad)
Twenty five years later, he went back to those doctors to tell them he was still alive and to see if they could explain to him. Every single one of those 10 doctors was dead.
He lived to be 102 years old (or 98 as he didn’t remember his exact age), more than four decades after his diagnosis!
According to himself, he lived because of his mediterranean diet, his local wine and the pollution free air of Ikaria. Here’s a short video from Moraitis interview to BBC:
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Main Article Photo: The New York Times
Photoshop: I’m A Useless Info Junkie
Sources: The Island Where People Forget to Die | Remembering Stamatis Moraitis: The Man Who (Almost) Forgot to Die
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