✩ shreya's story ✩

(tw: death) the experience of a daughter losing her father to cancer and struggling to share her story after his death. the story of a daughter whose relationship with her father triumphed over cancer and motivated her to change the narrative of a cancerous identity.

hi! i'm shreya vemulapalli, the founder of ccc, driven by my own experiences with cancer. [content warning: death]

when i was 9, almost 10 years old, my father received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. however, i wasn't aware of his condition until i was nearly 11, as his illness became more serious. during this time, my father was hospitalized for three months, and i had limited opportunities to see him. many family members came to support us, as my mom was regularly at the hospital with my dad.

a few months later, my father's health improved, and he was discharged from the hospital. he embarked on new treatments, including extensive chemotherapy, in the hope of eradicating the cancer from his body. unfortunately, with each unsuccessful treatment, the doctors' optimism began to wane. in late january 2020, my father was informed that all available treatment options had been exhausted. i returned home from school that day to find my mom in tears at the doorway. confused and concerned, i rushed inside to talk with my dad. through tears, he explained the entire situation.

as a sixth-grader, i couldn't truly grasp the possibility of losing my dad and held onto the hope of a miracle. i believe my entire family held onto that hope as well. however, as time passed, his condition deteriorated. he became increasingly reliant on an oxygen mask and started forgetting how to speak english. on february 8, 2020, i woke up and went to my dad's room, just like every morning. i stood in the doorway and noticed that the oxygen machine had been moved to the other corner of the room, and my dad was lying down in a navy blue suit. i approached him slowly, taking in the somber atmosphere of the room, with others on the verge of tears, and i reached out to hold his cold hand.

i will forever remember that day because it changed my life overnight. for years, i hesitated to share my story because i was afraid of being defined as "the girl who lost her dad." the fear of allowing this experience to define me is what drives me today to change the narrative, because no one should have to endure what i did.

thank you for reading my story,

shreya vemulapalli