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The story behind Cormode Cancer Foundation
From One Survivor's Story to a National Movement
CCF was born not from theory, but from lived experience. Dr. Denise Ejoh's journey shaped a vision for nationwide impact.
Founder & CEO
Meet Our Founder
Denise Ejoh, Ph.D
Founder, Cormode Cancer Foundation
Dr. Denise Uzoma Ejoh, PhD, is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cormode Cancer Foundation, a cancer awareness, education and patient-support organisation committed to helping individuals, families and communities better understand cancer and navigate the cancer journey with knowledge, dignity and hope.
Denise's work in cancer advocacy is deeply personal. Following her diagnosis with metastatic breast cancer in 2016, she made a decision not to allow her diagnosis to define the limits of her life. Instead, she transformed her experience into a platform for advocacy, education and support for others affected by cancer.
Living with metastatic breast cancer while continuing active treatment has given Denise a unique understanding of the realities faced by patients and their families. Her journey has included multiple brain surgeries and other cancer treatments, yet she has continued to work, teach, speak, write and advocate for better cancer awareness and patient empowerment.
Through Cormode Cancer Foundation, Denise has dedicated herself to addressing some of the challenges that continue to affect cancer outcomes, particularly late presentation, lack of reliable information, fear, stigma and limited access to patient support. She believes that cancer education should begin early and that people should have the knowledge and confidence to recognise concerns, seek medical attention and participate meaningfully in decisions about their health.
Her advocacy extends beyond awareness campaigns. Denise is passionate about creating opportunities for cancer patients and survivors to have a voice, supporting families affected by cancer, and equipping young people with accurate and age-appropriate cancer education. She has championed initiatives that bring cancer education into communities and schools and has developed programmes and resources designed to encourage young people to become informed cancer champions.
As a cancer advocate, educator, media personality and author, Denise uses every available platform to challenge misconceptions about cancer and encourage conversations that can save lives. She has also used television, digital media and community engagement to make cancer information more accessible to the public.
Denise believes that a cancer diagnosis should not take away a person's voice, purpose or hope.
Her own journey continues to shape the vision of Cormode Cancer Foundation: to build a society where people are better informed about cancer, patients are supported and heard, families are empowered, and communities are equipped to take collective action against cancer.
Through her leadership, Denise continues to turn personal experience into purposeful advocacy, reminding patients, caregivers, young people and communities that while cancer may become part of the story, it does not have to be the end of it.
In Her Own Words
The Story Behind Cormode Cancer Foundation
Cormode Cancer Foundation was born out of a very personal journey.
In 2016, I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. When I was told that I did not have long to live, I was baffled. I struggled to understand what was happening and what the future would hold, especially with regards to my 11-year-old daughter. I was preparing for my first craniotomy within two weeks and subsequently had my first Gamma Knife radiosurgery two months later.
Difficult times ahead. My hope rested on the GRACE and MERCY of GOD.
During that difficult period, I spent a lot of time praying, trying to understand two things. If I did not make it, then I needed to make arrangements for my youngest child. Second, if God was going to keep me alive, I did not want to lose the battle in a short space of time, and finally, if I was to live long, what was I going to do with the struggle. I knew whatever was wrong was very serious, but was not sure how bad. I had many questions and spent a great deal of time praying and asking God to help me understand what He wanted me to do with the life I had been given.
When I returned and continued my treatment, there was a particular moment that stayed with me. I was sitting in my chemotherapy chair, praying and asking God for direction. I wanted to understand my purpose. I wanted to know what I could do with my experience and how my journey could be of help to someone else.
It was during that period of prayer and reflection that the idea for the Foundation began to take shape.
I knew I wanted to create something that would help people understand cancer, encourage conversations about the disease and provide support and hope to those going through their own cancer journey.
The name Cormode has a special meaning to me. Cormode is my mother's and grandmother's maiden name. My grandmother was also a cancer patient, making the name even more significant to the work we do today. It represents family, legacy and a connection to a journey that existed long before the Foundation was established.
In 2019, Cormode Cancer Foundation was formally established, growing from that personal experience and the desire to turn my cancer journey into something meaningful for others.
What started with a woman sitting in a chemotherapy chair, asking God for direction, became a vision to educate, support and advocate for people affected by cancer.
My journey has not been an easy one. I have continued to face treatment, surgeries and the uncertainties that come with living with metastatic cancer. But along the way, I have learned that purpose can sometimes come from the places we never expected.
Cormode Cancer Foundation is part of that purpose.
Today, our work is focused on cancer awareness, education, patient advocacy and support. We want to help people become better informed, encourage early conversations about cancer and remind patients and families that they are not alone.
For me, Cormode Cancer Foundation is not simply an organisation. It is a reflection of my journey, my family, my faith and my belief that our experiences can be used to make a difference in the lives of others.
What began as a question about my own purpose has become a commitment to helping others find hope, knowledge and a voice in their cancer journey.
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Cancer may become part of the story, but it does not have to be the end of it.Denise Ejoh, Ph.DFounder, Cormode Cancer Foundation
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