About a year into my diagnosis, my dear friend Linda recommended I read Dying to be Me by Anita Moorjani.  I’m typically reading 3-4 books at any given time, but once I started reading Dying to be Me, the others were pushed aside….I finished in a matter of a couple of days.  Reading this book changed my outlook on my circumstances and on life in general. It was exactly what I needed to read to get my positive thinking and faith on track.

This book demonstrates the power of faith through the miraculous tale of Anita Moorjani’s battle with terminal cancer. In this amazingly inspirational memoir, Anita Moorjani recalls how, after fighting cancer for almost four years, her body became overwhelmed by malignant cancerous cells spreading throughout her system.  As a result, her body began shutting down.  As her organs failed, she entered into an extraordinary near-death experience (NDE).  She was thought to be dead. However, during this near death experience, she realized her inherent worth . . . and the actual cause of her disease. She made a conscious decision that it wasn’t her time to transcend and upon regaining consciousness, Anita found that her condition had improved so rapidly that she was able to be released from the hospital within weeks . . . without a trace of cancer in her body!

Seems pretty surreal …this whole NDE thing, but I was super intrigued which prompted me to dig a little deeper. I further researched the term/acronym NDE and discovered that it isn’t such a rare occurrence as there is a whole site dedicated to the numerous recounts of similar near death experiences, Near Death Experience Research Foundation website.  Anita’s story can be read here and there are also many different interviews available online for those of you who are unfamiliar with her story.

Within the book, Anita recounts stories of her childhood in Hong Kong, her challenge to establish her career and find true love, as well as how she eventually ended up in that hospital bed where she defied all medical knowledge.  As part of a traditional Hindu family residing in a largely Chinese and British society, she had been pushed and pulled by cultural and religious customs since she had been a little girl. After years of struggling to forge her own path while trying to meet everyone else’s expectations, she had the realization, as a result of her epiphany on the other side, that she had the power to heal herself . . . and that there are miracles in the Universe that she had never even imagined. In Dying to Be Me, Anita freely shares all she has learned about illness, healing, fear, “being love” and the true magnificence of each and every human being.

As a result of her near-death experience, Anita is often invited to speak at conferences and events around the globe to share her insights. I’m actually going to a workshop in May with a close friend which I am super excited about as I have been inspired by this woman and her tale for the past 5 years since reading her book.  It will be my first time meeting her and hearing her speak in person.  You can check out her website to learn more about her and upcoming events here.  She speaks on topics such as dealing with terminal illness, facing death and the psychology of spiritual beliefs. She is the embodiment of the truth that we all have the inner power and wisdom to overcome even life’s most adverse situations, as she’s the living proof of this possibility. This is a book that definitely makes the case that we are spiritual beings having a human experience . . . and that we are all One!

What an inspiring and spiritual read!…. and a constant reminder that we are more than what we think we are.