A former investment banker claimed his life was “saved†by his cancer diagnosis because it kept him from following the “wrong pathâ€.
Fabian Bolin, 31, from Sweden, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2015 and underwent 900 days of chemotherapy, believes his long-standing depression and ‘crazy party life’ led him to develop the disease .
But he now says his diagnosis was a ‘gift’ because it made him realize how unhappy he was, and credits the support he received for giving him back genuine ‘happiness’.
“I was taking the wrong path and it wouldn’t have ended well for me if I hadn’t been diagnosed with cancer,†Fabian told FEMAIL. “So for me it is a gift, the big one has become a savior for me.”
It has since launched War on cancer, the first social media app that connects people with the disease.
Fabian Bolin, 31, from Sweden, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2015 and had to undergo 900 days of chemotherapy
Fabian, pictured at the Kallbadhuset, After Beach Party in 2009, believes his “insane” lifestyle is at the root of his leukemia diagnosis.
“Having cancer and having social media saved my life,†said Fabian.
Fabian studied economics in Sweden, before moving to London to work as an investment banker, where he lived the high income rock star lifestyle.
Fabian then decided he wanted to change “piles of Excel sheets every day” and tried his hand at acting because he “wasn’t interested” in finance.
However, in his attempt at “fame and attention” he focused his attention more on partying than on improving his acting skills.
Fabian pictured in his hospital bed during treatment. He said that when he asked doctors about living with cancer, he found they couldn’t connect on a “human” level.
He said: ‘I focused my weekends on my acting skills, I just partied with the good producers at The Box.
“This is how I accelerated my path throughout my career … I have never had a passion for art.
He credits the support he received for giving him back real “happiness” and that’s what inspired him this year, to start the war on cancer.
It was while traveling to Sweden to see his parents that he realized something was wrong and went to the hospital the moment he stepped out of the hospital. airplane.
After experiencing severe chest pain and having difficulty breathing at dinner with his parents, he rushed to A&E.
After various tests on his blood and bone marrow, he found out he had lymphoblastic leukemia at the age of 28.
This would lead to 900 days of chemotherapy which Fabian described in previous blog posts as inducement, hair loss, mania, insomnia, body tremors as well as extreme weight loss.
But when he was diagnosed with blood cancer, he felt “At peace†with the news, because he no longer saw “the point†of living such a miserable life.
“This is what happens when you go through cancer,†he said.
“For the first time in my life, I had the opportunity to think about things. At that moment, for the first time in my life, I said to myself: “what is this for? ”
“I’m never happy, I drink all the time, I have all this excessive, crazy behavior, and all it gives me is a short-term adrenaline rush – but I have no real happiness in my life. ”
Fabian believes it was his extreme party lifestyle that was to blame for his diagnosis, as his mental health was at an all-time low.
He said: “Throughout my life I have always sought attention, but I didn’t know it at the time.
“I thought I was living the dream, but it wasn’t and I’m starting to believe I’ve been deeply unhappy for a long part of my life.
Fabian, pictured recovering, has launched an app to connect people with cancer who can help each other
Fabian pictured with rapper Snoop Dogg on his partying days. He said he would drink all the time and party with the producers while trying to launch an acting career
“Because I was so far removed from who I am as a person, I was chasing fame and I believe that’s why I got cancer.
“Because mental health issues, long term depression levels, stress levels, a crazy party life – all of these things together are really going to destroy your immune system.”
Fabian admitted that despite his moment of clarity, he was convinced the best Swedish healthcare system would keep him alive and was curious about what life with cancer would look like day to day.
However, Fabian felt sponsored by the medics, who he said couldn’t connect on a human level – prompting him to start blogging and eventually launch his new app.
He said, “I was asking my doctors questions, I said, ‘What is life with cancer like? When I asked these questions, I realized their inability to meet human needs.
He credits the support he received for giving him back real “happiness” and this is what inspired him this year to launch the app.
At the time of writing, Fabian’s new app, War on Cancer, has around 4,000 users – and the entrepreneur says it’s already creating a “safe haven” for people with the disease.
“They were so reluctant to give answers that they were like ‘Fabian just eats what makes you happy’.
“I thought you wouldn’t even say that to a healthy person.” If I did that, I would eat ice cream and vodka.
Seeking solace elsewhere, Fabian posted on Facebook and said the outpouring of love and support he received was overwhelming. and a “life changing experienceâ€.
Fabian’s new app, War on Cancer, has around 4,000 users – and the entrepreneur says it’s already creating a “safe haven” for people with the disease.
He said: “Already now we see that the testimonials are so strong that people write to us and say the war on cancer saved my life.
It’s hard to understand, what we’re building is already creating so much value – so for us showing up with this app is a lot of time for people to feel like they have a safe haven.
