From Cancer Patient at 19 to Doctor: The Journey That Changed Her Life

When Daniela Tendler Shorer was diagnosed with cancer at just 19 years old, she never imagined that one day she would become a physician in Israel.

Today, Dr. Daniela Tendler Shorer, 35, is a family physician. But before she ever wore a white coat, she wore a hospital gown. As a young woman, she faced a pelvic tumor and a long, painful medical journey that would ultimately shape her life’s mission.

Six Recurrences and a Relentless Fight for Life

In the years that followed her initial diagnosis, the cancer returned six times.

“I had to undergo six major surgeries,” she shared in an interview with Ynet, “along with long rehabilitation periods, and two rounds of radiation and chemotherapy.”

Over the past four years, the disease has not returned, something she describes as deeply encouraging. Still, she speaks with honesty and realism.

“With cancer being what it is, there’s always a chance it could come back,” she says.

Despite the uncertainty, Dr. Tendler Shorer chose life again and again. Through every surgery, every recovery, and every round of treatment, she refused to give up.

Why She Chose Medicine

When asked whether her experience as a cancer patient affects how she relates to her own patients today, Dr. Tendler Shorer explains that it is more than just perspective. Her illness is the very reason she entered medicine.

“I came into medicine because I got sick,” she says. “I saw firsthand how meaningful a doctor’s work can be for patients.”

Her years inside the healthcare system gave her insight not only into treatments and procedures, but into the human side of illness.

She hopes that what she endured will help her provide comprehensive, holistic care. Care that does not focus only on test results and diagnoses, but also on the person behind the illness.

“Beyond the physical side,” she explains, “illness also has an emotional side.”

The Loneliness of Being a Patient

One of the most difficult parts of her experience was the profound loneliness she felt during her hospitalizations.

“I felt very, very alone,” she recalls.

What she needed most was not only medical treatment, but understanding. She wanted the system to recognize her unique emotional and personal needs, and to adapt accordingly.

That longing now guides her as a physician.

Dr. Tendler Shorer carries with her not only medical knowledge, but lived experience. She understands what it feels like to wait anxiously for results, to face uncertainty, and to long for reassurance.

Her journey from cancer patient to doctor is not only a story of survival. It is a story of purpose. Out of pain grew a calling: to see, treat, and truly care for the whole person.