Shrenik Shah, Patient Ambassador and Moderator of Fridays with Shrenik Live webinar at the Indian Cancer Society, posted on LinkedIn:
“29 years ago, I heard the words no one ever wants to hear: ‘It’s cancer.’
At first, I thought survival would be about sheer willpower. That if I was strong enough, I could push through it alone.
But I learned very quickly that’s not how it works.
+ It wasn’t just the doctors who operated on me.
+ It wasn’t just the medicines that kept me alive.
+ It was my family holding me when fear felt bigger than me.
+ It was friends who showed up when I had no strength to speak.
+ It was nurses whose gentle words made the hospital less terrifying.
+ It was colleagues who gave me space, and strangers who became unexpected cheerleaders.
Every day, I felt lifted by someone’s presence.
Every step forward was never mine alone.
And here I am, stepping into my 29th year of survivorship.
If there’s one word that defines these years, it’s gratitude.
Because surviving cancer isn’t a solo journey, it’s a chorus.
And today, as I look back, I don’t just celebrate my life.
I celebrate our fight.”
More from Shrenik Shah on OncoDaily.
