CARY, N.C. — Cancer is a life-changing disease, but Neel Panajkar says it’s not something that defines who you are.

Panajkar, 17, is a childhood cancer survivor. He was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer in 2011.

“I was in the second grade, I started throwing up in school and my parents didn’t know why,” Panajkar said.

What You Need To Know

  • September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

  • About 10,500 children in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer in 2021, according to the American Cancer Society

  • Cancer is the second leading cause of death in children 1 to 14 years old

A golf-ball sized tumor was found on the base of his brain, prompting an immediate 11-hour surgery.

“My doctor told us I had cancer, my family and I were complete meltdown, we were shocked to hear it.” Panajkar said.

At the time, the Panajkar family was living in Portland, Oregon. Panajkar’s parents decided to pursue treatment at Mass General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. He underwent proton therapy treatment for two months before returning to Oregon for 18 months of chemotherapy.

“Because of a bump in removing my tumor, my whole right side was paralyzed. I switched all my activities: writing, making food, doing everything on my left-hand side” Panajkar said.  

Panajkar was put into intense physical therapy to get his dexterity back. In May of 2013, he was in remission. But a new challenge persisted.

“When I came back to school, I was bullied a lot because cancer gave me a short stature because I was radiated through full brain and spine, thus I was short so I was bullied a lot,” Panajkar said.

Panajkar’s family decided to move to North Carolina at the start of his freshmen year of high school: an opportunity to be closer to family and give Panajkar a fresh start.

“I started focusing my attention towards computer programming and technology, I found a passion for that,” Panajkar said.

Panajkar’s dedication to computers landed him an internship at Ceridian, a global cloud-based software company. He became the company’s first intern in high school and under the age of 18.

“Although cancer was a drawback in my life, it actually opened the door to me finding my passion, which is computer and technology,” he said.

In addition, Panajkar is an alumnus of the Make-A-Wish-Foundation Eastern North Carolina. His wish was granted for a trip to Disney World with his family.

During his internship he pledged to donate his first paycheck to the Make-A-Wish-Foundation Eastern North Carolina. With his dedication his company Ceridian, matched his donation by 10 times.

Panajkar is hoping to attend NC State University next fall and has dreams of becoming a computer programmer and data scientist.

Because of Panajkar’s experience with cancer, it has inspired his sister, Neha Panajkar to pursue a career in medicine.

“I think everyone does their best to try and find a bright side or positive and for me that was discovering my love for medicine, I want to be a pediatric oncologist when I’m older because I want to help people and families who have gone through the same thing, and I think that’s the beauty of medicine, it draws people from all walks of life with a common desire to help others,” Neha Panajkar said.