Vinnaren av Maria Zoéga-stipendiet!
Alexandra Lellky, grundare av Cancerkompisar, är en kvinnlig pionjär som med mod och engagemang har förändrat upplevelsen för många anhöriga, vars liv också påverkas när cancer drabbar någon nära. Utifrån egen erfarenhet har hon, med hjärta och driv, skapat positiv förändring för människor i livets svåraste stunder.
Läs mer om motiveringen och om årets vinnare via Zoegas hemsida här: https://www.zoegas.se/artikel/maria-zoega-stipendium
When I started Cancerkompisar, I did it for my mother
But also for Björn, my mother’s husband, who died of cancer in 2001, just shy of his 50th birthday.
On his gravestone are the words:
“To be continued…”
Who could have imagined then that it would one day lead to this.
A national award recognizing the work of giving a voice to people who support a loved one through cancer.
My co-founder Inga-Lill and I have worked on Cancerkompisar for 14 years.
I built it from the ground up.
The idea.
The platform.
The funding.
The network.
And we have sacrificed a lot along the way.
There were periods when no one understood what we were doing.
We were questioned.
Turned down for funding.
Turned down for sponsorships.
Passed from one person to another, all saying:
“What an important idea.”
Yet no doors opened.
Many gave advice we never asked for:
“Have you applied there?”
“You should talk to them.”
“Have you heard of the Swedish Inheritance Fund?”
But very few asked:
“What do you actually need?”
What struck me over the years was that many people only truly understood when they became caregivers themselves.
Only then did the loneliness become real.
The worry became real.
The weight of responsibility became real.
Only then did they understand why Cancerkompisar is needed.
I often think about how difficult it still is for women to gain support for ideas built around care, relationships, and social change.
Only a small percentage of women-led businesses receive investment.
I suspect the same is true within the non-profit sector.
But despite everything, we kept going.
And today, it feels as though the voices of cancer caregivers are finally being heard.
This award means more than money.
It means that what we have built together truly matters.
To the person sitting alone beside a hospital bed right now.
And perhaps that is exactly where the story continues.