Having been ill for over two years with what he thought was colitis, Anton FitzSimons was admitted to hospital in February 2003. He was diagnosed with advanced lymphoma. Despite a series of operations his condition steadily deteriorated. In isolation in a high-dependency unit, and armed with a basic understanding of the placebo effect, he strove to believe that he would recover. By August, he was less than half his normal body weight, had lost two major organs, had suffered a massive stroke, and was the subject of a ‘Do not resuscitate’ order…