Kimberly Gandy: Proof a startup can emerge stronger from its founder’s cancer diagnosis

An aggressive, mid-stage cancer diagnosis would be enough to stop anyone in their tracks, a more than valid reason for calling it quits for anything other than battling cancer. But for Kimberly Gandy, founder and CEO of Play-It Health, that wasn’t the case. Gandy went through several surgeries and treatments after being diagnosed in May 2016 and, incredibly, worked the entire period except for one week.

Did the diagnosis create hardships for the startup? Absolutely. Investment in the company was at a stand-still while Gandy received treatment. And for a company poised for growth, that’s a problem – how do you hire talent without investor dollars?

“To her credit, she stuck with it when a lot of people would’ve given up,” Don Peterson, founder and president of Infusion Express says. “When she got her cancer diagnosis, I thought she would potentially go back to being a physician—take the easy money and just work on her recovery. But she stuck it out and fought her battle.”

Peterson and Gandy have known each other for about five years, and today Infusion Express is a client of Play-It Health; the two companies are working together to establish Play-It Health as an education platform for Infusion Express patients.

Gandy’s story shows us what we are capable of—even in the face of a dire diagnosis such as hers. Today, Play-It Health is alive and well, along with its indomitable founder. Read more about her incredible story on Startland News.