YouTube has shared a heartfelt letter from its former CEO, Susan Wojcicki, three months after her death due to lung cancer at age 56, on November 25. The letter, written just weeks before her passing, was released this month to align with Lung Cancer Awareness Month.
In the letter, Wojcicki detailed her personal journey with the disease and emphasized the urgent need for better treatments. She pointed out that lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women.
“At the end of 2022, I was diagnosed with lung cancer. 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. My life changed dramatically after that day. I decided to resign from my role as CEO of YouTube, to focus on my health and my family. I was able to live an almost normal life, thanks to modern medicine,” she wrote.
Wojcicki, who stepped down from her YouTube role following the diagnosis, continued to serve on boards for companies like Salesforce, Planet Labs, and Waymo. In her letter, she reflected on how the illness reshaped her outlook on life.
“Having cancer hasn’t been easy. As a person, I have changed a lot, and probably the most important lesson I have learned is just 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.
Wojcicki passed away on August 10 after a two-year battle with lung cancer. Her legacy now includes a commitment to raising awareness and advocating for advancements in cancer treatment.
