Today we’d like to introduce you to Chandramukhi Ganju.
Hi Chandramukhi, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The decision to create the Holding Hands Foundation and support Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and Ronald McDonald House Charities was deeply rooted in personal experience. Both my brother and my daughter underwent cancer treatment there, and those moments shaped our mission in profound ways.
Founded in 2019, the Holding Hands Foundation is guided by its mission, Never Endure Hurt Alone (NEHA), a name that also honors my daughter, Neha. It was her heartfelt wish to help ease the burden of other patients, a vision she expressed in her book Body Betrayed Body, written during her treatment.
Throughout her journey, Neha encountered both compassion and challenges within the healthcare system. Witnessing her strength and unwavering commitment to helping others left a lasting impression on me. As her caregiver, I experienced her empathy, her comforting words, and her ability to uplift those around her, even while facing her own hardships. Her philosophy reminds us that even the smallest acts of kindness can bring immense comfort during life’s most difficult moments.
Our support of the Cancer Resource Center grew from a desire to offer more than clinical care. In addition to funding wigs and accessories at Sylvester, we provide customized port pillows, scarves, and hand knitted caps, each created with love and prayer. Through our Seva Credit Card program, we help patients purchase essential items using Visa cards, with social workers identifying those most in need.
These efforts are deeply personal. I saw firsthand how something as simple as a port pillow eased my daughter’s discomfort by protecting sensitive areas from seatbelts and daily movement while also offering emotional reassurance. What may seem like a small gesture can mean everything to a young patient facing cancer.
The Holding Hands Foundation, HHF, is built on a simple belief. When a family is focused on their loved one’s health, nothing else should matter. We support patients and families throughout their cancer journey by providing both emotional care and practical assistance. Caregivers, in particular, face immense emotional strain, and HHF is committed to supporting and educating them so they can care for others while maintaining their own well being.
Cancer is not only a medical challenge, it is also a logistical and emotional one. Many families must travel for treatment, adding financial and mental stress. HHF helps ease this burden by offering care bags, food, and whatever is needed, allowing families to focus entirely on healing.
Our Remembering Loved Ones program was created with heartfelt intention. Once a month, we provide meals to patients and caregivers staying at Ronald McDonald House, helping relieve the stress of finding food, especially for those who have traveled far from home for treatment in Florida.
Through this journey, we have learned that compassion matters more than anything material. What patients and caregivers truly need is connection, a warm meal, a listening ear, or simply the reassurance that someone cares. Our mission is to bring comfort, dignity, and support to those facing cancer, easing both their emotional and physical burdens in every way we can.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It was not an easy path. The journey was emotionally and financially draining. Establishing the organization was challenging, especially the IRS incorporation and extensive paperwork. Due to limited funds, I handled the documentation myself using my legal background. The real challenge came afterward: sustaining it without steady resources and constantly figuring out where to begin, whom to approach, and how to move forward.
In the early stages, family and friends stepped in with financial support. However, we knew we needed a more sustainable solution. That is when we started a fundraising initiative called Samavar Chai. Every Saturday at the farmers market, we raise funds by selling traditional Kashmiri tea and homemade food, something deeply connected to Neha’s pride in her heritage and cuisine.
Additionally, proceeds from the sale of Body Betrayed Beauty, a compilation of Neha’s writings from the final phase of her life, along with my cookbook Koshur Saal, have helped us meet ongoing financial challenges and continue our work.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
A lawyer by training, a poet by temperament, a social worker by conviction, and a culinary enthusiast by passion, Chandra Ganju is a dynamic and multifaceted individual. Originally from the captivating landscapes of the Kashmir Valley in India, she now calls Florida, USA, her home, having relocated over three decades ago following the mass exodus from Kashmir.
Chandra retired from the Department of Children and Families after dedicating 30 years as a Fraud Investigator, working closely with communities in need and offering guidance and support to those who required assistance.
An accomplished author, Chandra has written the bestselling cookbook Koshur Saal and the deeply moving poetry collection The Day My God Died. Her words and recipes alike reflect memory, identity, and the enduring strength of her roots.
Beyond her creative pursuits, she is the founder of the Holding Hands Foundation, a nonprofit organization built on the guiding message “Never Endure Hurt Alone” (NEHA). As its president, she is deeply committed to alleviating the suffering of individuals facing cancer and supporting their caregivers, reflecting her lifelong dedication to service and compassion.
Chandra has generously donated all proceeds from the sale of her books, Koshur Saal and The Day My God Died, to support the mission of the Holding Hands Foundation.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Rooted in spirituality, I begin each day with over two hours of meditation, a practice that brings me clarity, strength, and balance.
Pricing:
- None Profit 501c3 need donation and can visit myholdinghands.org
- Donation can be made to Neha Cancer Support Services Fund at Sylvester Comprehensive cancer Center
Contact Info:
- Website: https://myholdinghands.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myHoldingHandsFoundation
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChandramukhiGanju
