Today we’d like to introduce you to Ananya Nagendra
Hi Ananya, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My mom lost her life 9 months ago after fighting cancer for about 3 years. After her passing, I was honestly lost and willing to grasp at any straws helping me reconnect with her. This constant search for wanting to be close to her again led to the creation of my non profit, Letters of Light. I wanted to be a part of something that lets me help others in her situation. I realized that writing thoughtful and encouraging letters to cancer patients can go a long way! Receiving a handwritten letter is so rare nowadays and hopeful quotes and words can truly light up someone’s day, especially when someone is in an incredibly tough stage in their lives! With this in mind, I was so joyous and ready to start Letters of Light. At first, I was so scared no one would join or support this mission that is so dear to me. I have now been running Letters of Light for almost a year now, and we have donated around 800 letters so far to various hospitals including Baylor Scott & White’s Sammons Cancer Center, where my mom used to go for her chemo. This opened my eyes to a beautiful reality that people genuinely want to help! I miss her every single second of every day, but running Letters of Light has helped me realize that she will always be with me wherever I go and whatever I do. Through learning how to cope with the biggest loss I could ever face in my life and finding a way to continue to keep my mom as a part of my life, I have learnt a lot that I hope to share with others.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Every moment of bringing awareness to the cause has truly been such an amazing experience, and I am beyond grateful to have an incredible group of people helping me grow the organization and empower more patients!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I run a nonprofit specializing in writing handwritten letters to patients undergoing treatment for terminal and chronic illnesses. Especially nowadays where receiving a letter is so rare, I wanted patients to experience that special joy of receiving a handwritten letter while going through treatment! Letters of Light is a student-run nonprofit I started when I was 15 after losing my mom to cancer.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I was truly surprised and so grateful to see the support for the organization and mission! I was so terrified no one would support the cause that means the world to me, but I was so wrong! I am very thankful to have each and every writer working to help empower so many patients! Also, one unique system of Letters of Light is our auditing system! To ensure every letter that goes from us is sensitive to the patients’ situations and appropriate, I have a wonderful team of auditors working to make sure all the letters we donate are positive, appropriate, and aware of the mission and cause. One aspect of letter writing for patients which I truly wanted to emphasize as I wrote our Letters of Light Letter Guidelines is how we must exclude saying statements like “Hope you get better soon!” This is unfortunately just not going to be the case for some patients undergoing treatment for terminal illnesses. While that statement has caring intentions, this cause requires understanding the situation well and being empathetic. This is where our letter guidelines come in to assist all our writers!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Lettersoflight.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinlettersoflight/
- Other: Ananya.Gulur.12@gmail.com
