STAR SPEAK:Emotional Yuvraj Singh recalls his struggles on Cancer Day

GURGAON: India cricketer Yuvraj Singh had tears rolling down his cheeks as he recalled his successful battle with cancer on a day, which is named after the dreaded disease.

On the occasion of World Cancer Day, Yuvraj spoke about the time after he was diagnosed with a rare germ cell cancer between his lungs a few months post India's World Cup triumph in 2011.

"Today is about survivorship. I didn't believe when I was first told that I have cancer. I thought how can a young person like me get cancer. I thought it could never happen to me. It took me a while to realise that I was diagnosed with cancer," an emotional Yuvraj said.

Nearly a year back the stylish left-hander was battling a stage-1 cancerous tumour in his left lung at a hospital in Indianapolis and while his near ones remembered the tough time, Yuvraj could not control his tears.

"I always cry now, I have become a cry baby. I was feeling that life might come to an end," he said.

The event, hosted in collaboration with Crown Plaza Today, witnessed a gathering of cancer patients and survivors sharing their experiences of fighting the disease.

The 31-year-old said his aim now is to generate awareness and facilitate early detection of cancer through his initiative 'YouWeCan'.

"I want to give back to the society. Many cancer patients die because their disease is not detected early. Also, there is a stigma attached to it. The need is to address those issues," he said.