Elizabeth Awo-Ejeh, Breast Cancer Survivor and Advocate, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Last month, during Cancer Survivors Month, I attended the Cancer Survivors Summit organized by Network of People Impacted by Cancer in Nigeria (NePICiN) Looking around the room, I couldn’t help but think about how different all our stories were, yet how much we all understood each other without saying a word.
Some of us had lost our hair. Some had lost a breast. Some were still in treatment. Some were years into survivorship. We laughed, we shared, we took pictures, and for a few hours, we simply celebrated the fact that we were still here.
I remember sitting there thinking, ‘I’m still here too.’
A few days later, Runcie C.W. Chidebe sent me a link.
Curious, I opened it, and I was completely speechless.
I had been recognized by OncoDaily as one of the 100 Influential Cancer Survivors on Social Media – 2026 Edition.
To be honest, I smiled… then I cried.
Not because of the recognition itself, but because it made me think about where this journey started.
I remembered the fear that came with hearing the words, ‘You have breast cancer.’ I remembered chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, the days I questioned everything, and the many nights only God knew how broken I felt.
I also remembered picking up my phone and deciding to tell my story anyway.
At first, I wasn’t trying to become an advocate. I wasn’t trying to build a platform.
I just wanted someone else who was scared to know they weren’t alone.
Over time, messages started coming in.
‘I booked my screening because of your post.’
‘Your story gave me hope.’
‘I thought I was the only young woman going through this.’
Those messages reminded me that healing isn’t only physical. Sometimes, healing happens when someone realizes they are seen.
This recognition belongs to every person who has followed my journey, prayed for me, encouraged me, shared my posts, donated toward my treatment, or simply left a kind comment on a difficult day. You may never know how much those little acts of kindness have meant to me.
Cancer changed my life in ways I never asked for. It took things from me. It continues to challenge me. But it also gave me a voice I never knew I had, and if that voice can help even one person find hope or seek help early, then every part of this journey has meaning.
I’m still a patient. I’m still learning. I’m still trusting God one day at a time.
But today, I’m also grateful.
Grateful to still be here. Grateful that my story matters. Grateful that pain can become purpose.
Thank you, OncoDaily, for this honour.
And to every person walking through cancer right now: I’m cheering you on. Keep going. One day, you’ll look back and realize just how strong you really were.”
Other posts featuring Elizabeth Awo-Ejeh on OncoDaily
