YouTube released a final message from former CEO Susan Wojcicki, who passed away in August at 56 after battling lung cancer, reflecting on her unexpected diagnosis and her focus on raising awareness about the disease in honor of Lung Cancer Awareness Month.
In the message, Wojcicki described being diagnosed with lung cancer at the end of 2022, despite having no symptoms and maintaining an active lifestyle.
“I had almost no symptoms and was running a few miles a day at the time. I had never smoked so I was totally shocked with this diagnosis.” she wrote.
After stepping down from YouTube in February 2023, Wojcicki turned her attention to her health and family, including her husband, Dennis Troper, and their four children.
“Having cancer hasn’t been easy,” she shared, noting that the experience taught her to focus on enjoying the present.
“Life is unpredictable for everyone, with many unknowns, but there is a lot of beauty in everyday life,” Wojcicki continued.
She also highlighted the need for more research into lung cancer, emphasizing that it remains the leading cause of cancer death in women, despite declines in smoking.
“It is not well known that lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer death in women and the second most common cancer in women,” Wojcicki wrote.
“Although lung cancer overall is decreasing because of declines in tobacco use, lung cancer among people who have never smoked has been rising significantly, and two-thirds of people diagnosed lung cancer with no smoking history are women,” she added.
“My goals going forward are to enjoy the present as much as possible, and fight for better understanding and cures for this disease,” Wojcicki concluded.