Dying to Be Me: Anita Moorjani’s Extraordinary Journey From Terminal Cancer to Healing Through a Near-Death Experience

In the crowded field of memoirs about illness and survival, few stories have stirred as much awe, controversy, and debate as Anita Moorjani’s Dying to Be Me. First published in 2012, the book became an instant New York Times bestseller, largely because of the remarkable tale at its core: Anita’s near-death experience (NDE) and her seemingly miraculous recovery from end-stage cancer.

A Life Turned Upside Down

In 2002, while living and working in Hong Kong, Moorjani discovered a lump above her left collarbone. After medical consultations, she was diagnosed with stage 2A Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. Over time, the tumors spread to her chest and armpit.

Having watched several loved ones suffer and eventually die after undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, Anita made the difficult decision to refuse these treatments. Instead, she turned to alternative approaches, hoping to find a gentler path to healing.

But the cancer did not relent. By early 2006, her condition had worsened dramatically. Her body was ravaged by disease, her organs failing. On the morning of February 2, she slipped into a coma.

Declared Beyond Help

Doctors informed her family that it was “too late.” The disease had spread throughout her body, and her organs had already shut down. Family members gathered at her bedside to say their final goodbyes.

What happened next, however, defied medical expectation.

The Near-Death Experience

During 30 hours of coma, Anita later reported, she felt her consciousness separate from her body. She described floating above the hospital bed, observing doctors working frantically and even overhearing conversations between her family and medical staff.

She also recounted moving through what she described as a tunnel of light and encountering loved ones who had already passed away, including her father and her closest friend.

“I didn’t want to return,” she later wrote. “I felt completely free of fear and pain. But my father and friend urged me to go back, telling me that it wasn’t my time yet and that I had a greater purpose to fulfill.”

Though hesitant to re-enter what she remembered as a body riddled with disease, Anita chose to return to life, guided by their encouragement to live “fearlessly.”

A Stunning Recovery

Within hours of regaining consciousness, doctors were shocked to discover that her tumors had begun to shrink. Four days later, medical scans showed that her cancer had reduced by 70%. Within five weeks, she was declared cancer-free and discharged from hospital.

Though she required months of physiotherapy to rebuild her strength and mobility, Anita never again developed cancer. She has remained healthy to this day.

Medical Debate

Her recovery has sparked years of medical and spiritual debate.

Some doctors argue that the turnaround was the result of medical interventions carried out once she was hospitalized, including lung drainage and chemotherapy. “With Hodgkin’s lymphoma, it is never too late,” noted Dr. T.K. Chan, one of her attending oncologists. “The disease can respond very strongly to chemotherapy.”

Others, however, remain unconvinced that conventional medicine alone explains the speed and completeness of her recovery. Dr. Peter Ko, another oncologist who reviewed her records, stated: “Chemotherapy can be effective, yes. But I have never seen such a rapid and dramatic response, especially in someone whose organs had already failed. Something more may have been at work.”

The Birth of a Bestseller

Intrigued by her story, Anita shared her testimony with the Near-Death Experience Research Foundation (NDERF), a website run by oncologist Dr. Jeffrey Long and his wife Jody. It caught the attention of Wayne Dyer, the late American self-help author, who urged her to write a book.

In March 2012, Dying to Be Me was released by Hay House Publishers. Within two weeks, it hit the New York Times bestseller list. Readers around the world connected with its central message: love yourself, release fear, and recognize the immense power within.

Support and Skepticism

The book’s success was not without controversy. Admirers saw Anita’s story as a beacon of hope and a challenge to conventional notions of healing. Critics, however, warned against encouraging patients to rely solely on positive thinking or spirituality when facing life-threatening illnesses.

Journalist Vicky Allen of The Herald Scotland wrote: “This reflects a troubling approach to illness, particularly cancer—suggesting it can be overcome simply by mindset. Many in the medical community consider this dangerous.”

Academic Peter Allmark of Sheffield Hallam University, co-author of A Critique of Positive Thinking in Cancer Care, went further, calling such claims “misleading, even fraudulent.”

Still, the debate has only fueled the book’s influence, ensuring Anita’s story remains widely discussed in both medical and spiritual circles.

Anita’s Perspective

For Anita, the explanation is clear: her illness had been driven, at least in part, by years of fear. In her near-death state, she said she realized that fear—of failure, of judgment, of disease—had poisoned her spirit and weakened her body.

“In that state of pure awareness, I understood that fear was killing me,” she wrote. “When I let go of it and embraced my own worth, my body began to heal.”

She describes the near-death experience as a “reset,” a state where all limiting beliefs fell away, leaving her with a profound awareness of the healing energy within every human being.

Lessons for the Living

While her recovery may never be fully explained, Anita’s message continues to resonate:

Love yourself unconditionally.

Let go of fear and social expectations.

Recognize the innate intelligence and healing power of the body.

Importantly, she stresses that one does not need to experience death to understand life’s value. “Illness,” she says, “is the body’s way of telling us: you are not living as you should. It is a call to reconnect with your intuition and your inner energy.”

A Legacy of Hope

Whether viewed as miracle, mystery, or medical anomaly, Anita Moorjani’s survival story has reached millions worldwide. Dying to Be Me remains a bestseller more than a decade later, inspiring readers to live with courage, authenticity, and compassion.

For her, the greatest lesson is simple: “When we release fear and embrace love, we allow life’s miraculous energy to flow through us. That is when true healing begins.”