'Paul Reid should be dead. Diagnosed with a rare, incurable lymphoma, he was given five years, seven tops, by his oncologist. But, having cheated death in the Ash Wednesday bushfires, he was not about to surrender his life without a fight.

His weapon of choice? Apricot kernels. Thirty a day. Reid turned down chemotherapy, vowing to eat himself well. Today, 13 years in remission, the 68-year-old believes that ''cancer-killing'' properties in the kernels he still eats daily, coupled with a strict vegan diet and prayer, have cured him. ''We're not immortal, but I believe I'll be healthy from taking this direction,'' he says.'

Read more: Can Apricot Kernels Keep Cancer at Bay?