Shrenik Shah, Patient Ambassador and Moderator of Fridays with Shrenik Live webinar at the Indian Cancer Society, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“I don’t consume tobacco.
But still I had vocal cord cord cancer. Stage IV. 27 years.
In fact, I belong to the 15% of non-smokers who get vocal cord cancer.
I survived twice. But survival is just one part of the story.
In 2018 and 2019, I was invited to speak; not once, but twice; in the UK.
– Nottingham
– Brighton
Two international conferences.
Two packed auditoriums.
And I spoke… without a voice.
No bestselling book.
No viral TEDx talk.
Just a message that refused to be silenced.
People often ask: “How did you land those global stages?” “How did you get sponsored again?”
Here’s what they don’t see:
1. I turned my limitation into leverage
No vocal cords? I still speak.
Not for sympathy but for change. (I recently moderated a session for the same).
People don’t invite me to “inspire.” They invite me to disrupt.
2. I treated every small talk like a global keynote
Whether it was 5 students in a class or 500 attendees abroad
Same prep. Same energy. Same mission.
3. I made it bigger than myself
It’s not about me surviving cancer.
It’s about building awareness, empathy, and access for those still fighting.
Aaj kal, sabko chahiye; virality, visibility, validation.
But the real unlock?
Visibility starts with being valuable.
So here’s my cheat code:
Speak your truth.
Show up like it’s your last talk.
And when life gives you a seat on the plane; don’t just fly. Make it count.
Because Life… can be narrated even without the mist (zindagi… mic ke bina bhi sunayi jaa sakti hai).”
More posts featuring Shrenik Shah on OncoDaily.
