“My tough childhood prepared me well for all the challenges of life and today I am a winner because I know how to live with optimism and joy in every situation.” says Anchal Sharma, Co-Founder and Creative Director, CanHeal, a platform and e-commerce portal especially designed for cancer fighters and winners.

Born in a lower middle-class family in Delhi, life was tough for Anchal Sharma in her early years and it was a struggle to make both the ends meet. The early challenges in life prepared her for tough situations and made her resilient and strong to face all adversities. She found solace in physical activities and was determined to take care of her health and remain fit all her life.

She started working very early in life doing odd jobs to help her family financially. She finally found her calling in Real Estate and today, she is a successful real estate consultant along with being a life coach for cancer Patients and survivors. The detection of breast cancer came at a time when her family was busy with preparations for her brother’s wedding. After the initial shock and on realising the enormity of the fight ahead of her, Anchal prepped herself and geared up to win the battle against cancer; medically and as well as socially by continuing to live her life with the same zest and enthusiasm.

Anchal decided to treat cancer like any other disease. In fact, she would change the sombre atmosphere of the waiting hall for chemotherapy in the hospital by cracking jokes and telling amusing stories to fellow cancer fighters to spread cheer and optimism. She took pains to dress up well and put on makeup to look nice, while going to the hospital for her treatment. The doctors and nursing staff waited for the whiff of positivity and cheer that Anchal brought with her to the low-spirited patients. She’s endured numerous sessions of chemotherapy, spinal taps, surgeries, and life-threatening infections with aplomb and positivity.

Her fight against cancer changed the direction of her life. She decided to dedicate herself to bring the same gusto for living with style and self-assurance in the lives of other cancer fighters and survivors by making life easy and beautiful for them. The greatest fallacy about cancer is that once you’re finished with the treatment, you just get back to normal life easily. In reality, life changes completely and leaves you with lasting scars physically, emotionally and psychologically. She realised that during the fight with cancer and Journey after need people that understand you, support you, and above all comprehend your problems. She ventured out to create such a support system for her peers. She started sharing her experiences and how she overcame the pain of cancer treatment with cancer fighters and their families in sessions organised by several hospitals in Delhi.

Anchal lost all her hair during chemotherapy. That is when, like many other patients, she decided to get a wig and wore it for the first time during a public event, where she was a speaker and sitting on the head table. An hour into the event, she felt an unbearable pain in her head, neck and waist. She removed the wig publically and put on a scarf she was carrying with her. She felt the relief almost immediately and it became a life-changing moment for Anchal. She decided to face the reality and take control of her own situation, not dictated or distracted by societal pressures. She styled and offered scarves and bandanas to her fellow cancer fighters. The appreciation she received from them and her doctors, stemmed into a business idea of starting a range of products and accessories for the cancer fighters.

She started with a range of cotton scarves and bandanas sold at the shops in hospitals of Delhi NCR. She looked back at her journey and reflected on her needs during her fight and how she had to re-establish physically and emotionally by keeping her spirit kindled. She customised stylish comfortable clothes for chemotherapy and paired them with bohemian Bandanas to make a style statement, keeping her positive and happy. Her skin needed hundred percent natural, organic and very potent body care products to overcome the inflammation and dryness caused by chemotherapy. She also observed equipment and accessories used by financially resourceful patients, to ease the discomfort of the cancer treatment. As she further discussed these issues with cancer fighters, she became aware of so many of their other needs.

What started as an effort based on individual experiences slowly became a collective understanding of many cancer patients’ needs. Anchal took a lead to create CanHeal, a platform specifically designed to serve the needs of cancer fighters. Can’ represents the power to achieve whatever one wants through will and resolution and ‘Heal’ represents the power of healing through positive affirmation. This platform offers a range of products aimed at healing cancer patients; the healing of body, mind and spirit – that creates the ability to live life to the fullest. Not only has Anchal developed the CanHeal range of products and services, she has curated a range of products from various sources available to cancer fighters on a single platform.

CanHeal is also a platform for cancer fighters to interact with peers and experts to share and learn from each other’s experiences. Can heal encourages patients to look good, be comfortable, laugh, and just really enjoy life, regardless of the pain of treatment and the anguish accompanying it!

Today, Anchal is an inspiration for millions of cancer fighters and she has made it her life mission to live life to the fullest and to continue inspiring others also to do the same.