Lung Cancer awareness month: YouTube releases former CEO Susan Wojcicki's last letter
Susan Wojcicki, who died in August this year after a two year battle with lung cancer, wrote a last message which was shared recently. This is what she had to say
To coincide with Lung Cancer Awareness Month, YouTube shared a poignant letter written by its former CEO, Susan Wojcicki, who had passed away due to lung cancer in August this year.
Wojcicki died at the age of 56 after battling the disease for two years. A non-smoker, she was diagnosed with lung cancer at the end of 2022.
Her letter focussed on how she handled the disease, how it changed her life and the urgent need for better treatments to fight the disease.
Also read: Breathing Here Is Injurious To Your Health: How pollution affects life
Non-smoker and a runner
According to Wojcicki, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women.
In her letter, she recounted how shocked she was when she learnt she had lung cancer. she had no symptoms whatsoever and was even running a few miles a day at the time.
A non-smoker all her life, the diagnosis “totally shocked” her.
Also read: Actor Sanjay Dutt diagnosed with lung cancer
Outlook to life
“My life changed dramatically after that day,” wrote Wojcicki, adding that she decided to resign from her role as CEO of YouTube, to focus on her health and her family. She was also able to lead an “almost normal life” during this time largely due to modern medicine, she said.
After leaving YouTube, Wojcicki continued to serve on boards for companies like Salesforce, Planet Labs, and Waymo. But her lillness had shaped her outlook on life.
Enjoy the present
It was not easy having cancer, she admitted. Moreover, as a person she had changed a lot and probably the most important lesson she learnt is to "focus and enjoy the present"!
“Life is unpredictable for everyone, with many unknowns, but there is a lot of beauty in everyday life. My goals going forward are to enjoy the present as much as possible and fight for better understanding and cures for this disease,” she added.
She worked hard to raise awareness about lung cancer and push for advancements in cancer treatment. That commitment is the legacy she has lnow left behind.