Finding Strength & Purpose: Simi’s Story

Simi Ranajee, PhD, MBA, does not let lung cancer define her. Crowned the first Miss India Worldwide in 1990, she is a distinguished professional with more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry, a TEDx speaker, and founder of the nonprofit Mission Neem 5, an organization committed to empowering and helping women. Her family—including her husband, son, daughter, parents, and sister— live in the tight-knit community of Lakewood Ranch in southeast Florida.  

We sat down with Simi, who shared her story of resilience and maintaining a positive mindset throughout her lung cancer experience.   

Tell me about your lung cancer diagnosis.  

On October 2, 2017, I was diagnosed with stage 2B (IIB) non-small cell lung cancer. It literally took my breath away. I was told that I would have a lobectomy to remove the upper left part of my lung. I did not go through chemotherapy and opted for surgery because I wanted all the cancer removed.   

What lessons did your lung cancer diagnosis teach you?  

I didn’t announce I was sick broadly. I just told my family and close friends. But once meal trains, cards, and friends started visiting, I was more open about my health. I learned to welcome the love because it helped me heal. We have family all over the world, and my sister set up a private Facebook page where she and my husband would provide updates. When I was scared or couldn’t sleep at night, I went to that page and looked at comments from friends and family, which helped keep me going.

I also learned to question everything. I had 14 consultations, and at each, I was told they had never seen a 49-year-old with no family history or smoking history diagnosed with this type of cancer. Everyone had a different opinion about what was happening. If I hadn’t questioned everything before, during, and after surgery, I wouldn’t be here today. 

After surgery, my doctors gave me painkillers. Before the painkillers, people called me “type AAA” because I was always working. After the surgery, I was different. I would just lay in bed as people visited me. One day, my daughter walked in, and I realized I had to get back to my life, so I tried to wean myself off—how hard could it be? Lung cancer was hard, but getting off the opioids was harder. With my background in public health, I should have known this. Addiction is a brain disease.  

How did these realizations and experiences change your mindset?  

Challenges are not roadblocks; they are opportunities. Instead of viewing obstacles from a singular perspective, I now approach them collaboratively, asking, “How can we work for better outcomes?”  

My lung cancer diagnosis led me to embrace the mentality of things happening “for me” instead of “to me.”  Rather than seeing difficulties as something happening “to me,” I now ask, “What can I do FROM me?” 

My philosophy of F.R.O.M.—For Reasons Outside Myself—serves as a powerful reminder that life’s challenges often carry deeper meaning. When we stop operating with a “to me” mentality and instead embrace the idea that difficulties serve a greater purpose, “from me,” we unlock new possibilities.  

How are you using this mindset as you are navigating the latest recurrence of cancer and treatment?  

Earlier this year, I found out that my cancer had metastasized to a stage 4 (IV) mass in my back and my bone. I am trying to stay positive as more research has been done on my specific ALK mutation. I learned this traditionally presents in non-smokers. There are more treatments, but compared to what I went through before, the severity of this occurrence is far more devastating. The treatment is more complex, and fear is elevated.   

As someone said, the uninvited friend is back. My lesson is not done, and I have more to learn. It is all a part of our human journey.